Department for Transport

Aviation: Wokingham

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to limit aircraft noise over Wokingham constituency.

Michael Ellis: The Government recognises that aviation noise is a key concern for communities that aircraft fly over, including areas such as Wokingham. As part of its forthcoming Aviation Strategy, the Government has put forward a number of proposals designed to incentivise the aviation industry to successfully modernise airspace. The benefits of airspace modernisation are well known. For example, it should allow aircraft to climb more quickly than they can at present, and descend continuously, both of which will have a noticeable noise reduction benefit for overflown communities. The Government has also taken forward proposals for additional ways of representing communities’ exposure to noise and requirements for optional analysis and consultation that will ensure communities are more engaged in the future decisions around airspace that affect them. London Heathrow Airport is developing its proposal for the Compton departure route, the operation of which affects communities near Wokingham. We expect that London Heathrow Airport will consult on its proposals next year, and this will provide an opportunity for communities to influence the final design for this departure route.

Railways: Luton

Mr Gavin Shuker: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions his Department has had with East Midlands Trains on northbound services that fail to stop at (a) Luton and (b) Luton Airport Parkway under the existing timetable.

Andrew Jones: Trains continue to call at Luton Airport Parkway in the peaks. The Department attends monthly Industry forums which discuss the future timetable development of passengers services on the Midlands Main Line, and the expected reinstatement of East Midlands peak service calls at Luton and Bedford.

Golborne Station

Jo Platt: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions his Department has had with Transport for the North on the feasibility of reopening (a) Golborne North and (b) Goldborne South railway stations.

Andrew Jones: As part of its GM 2040 Transport Strategy Delivery Plan, Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) is undertaking further study of the feasibility of opening a number of new stations in the Greater Manchester area. Work to date by TfGM has shortlisted those stations worth proceeding with, and Golborne has been identified as being one of three potential new station sites that could benefit the Hon. Member’s constituents. The potential site being considered in Golborne is close to the site of the former Golborne South station on the West Coast Main Line, north of Golborne Junction. TfGM will be engaging with relevant stakeholders as this work progresses, including the Rail North Partnership (Department for Transport and Transport for the North) which manages rail franchises that could potentially call at a new station in this area.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Business: Public Holidays

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate he has made of the cost to businesses producing calendars of the alteration of the date of the 2020 early May bank holiday.

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he plans to compensate businesses producing printed calendars for the costs that they have incurred as a result of the alteration of the date of the 2020 early May bank holiday.

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he undertook a consultation with businesses before deciding to alter the date of the 2020 early May bank holiday; and if he will make a statement.

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, which Minister in his Department is responsible for alterations to the dates of bank holidays.

Kelly Tolhurst: The Government considered the implications of moving the early May bank holiday from 4 to 8 May 2020 very carefully and how this may impact business. Only after this process was completed were we in a position to make an announcement. My hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Andrew Stephenson MP set out the Government’s position on this in an Adjournment Debate on 18 June 2019.The Government recognises that the decision has caused difficulties to some individuals and businesses. But on this historic occasion the Government wants to ensure as many people as possible have the opportunity to pay a fitting tribute to our heroes of the Second World War on the 75th anniversary of VE Day. Representatives from businesses that publish printed calendars have contacted the Department and we have responded to them directly.

Renewable Energy

Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the Government’s commitment to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050, whether the Government plans to increase the 6GW capacity cap in the Contracts for Difference auctions.

Chris Skidmore: We do not plan to increase the 6-gigawatt capacity cap for the third Contracts for Difference allocation round. Based on our understanding of the pipeline of projects, we have set the level of the capacity cap to promote competitive tension, whilst delivering significant capacity, and ensure smooth delivery of low carbon generation through the 2020s.

Clean Growth Ministerial Group

Matthew Pennycook: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, which Ministers are permanent members of the Environment and Clean Growth Inter-Ministerial Group.

Chris Skidmore: The Inter-Ministerial Group on Environment and Clean Growth is chaired by the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy. The Deputy Chair is the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. Membership includes: Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government  Secretary of State for Transport Secretary of State for Health Chief Secretary to the Treasury Minister of State for Energy and Clean Growth Minister of State for Transport  Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Defra  Government Chief Scientific Adviser   The purpose of the group is to allow Ministers to discuss direction for relevant strategic issues. Membership is flexible to topics being discussed.

Research: EU Nationals

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether EU nationals will be eligible for UKRI PhD studentships in the academic year 2020-21.

Chris Skidmore: EU nationals will remain eligible for UKRI studentships for courses beginning in academic year 2020/21.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Sudan: Politics and Government

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to his counterparts in  (a) Saudi Arabia and (b) the United Arab Emirates on ceasing funding the current regime in the Sudan.

Harriett Baldwin: Sudan is facing a profound economic crisis alongside its political upheaval. That economic crisis is having a variety of consequences, including humanitarian. Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are among those who have provided economic assistance. We are engaged with them – at ministerial and official level – as we are with other partners, on how the international community can best support economic reform and political progress in Sudan.

Yemen: Armed Conflict

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to prevent an escalation of violence in al-Hodeidah Governorate.

Dr Andrew Murrison: We continue to warn that Any renewed military activity in Hodeidah would be catastrophic for Yemen, potentially pushing millions into famine. We welcomed Houthi redeployments as a crucial first step in the plan to implement the Hodeidah Agreement, but there is more to do. The UK encourages all parties to continue to constructively engage with the UN Special Envoy Martin Griffiths and General Lollesgaard. Implementing the Hodeidah Agreement remains a critical step towards the broader peace process.

Hong Kong: Human Rights

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether the Government plans to discuss human rights issues in Hong Kong at the next G20 meeting.

Dr Andrew Murrison: “The Prime Minister raised Hong Kong at the G20 with EU leaders. She reiterated the importance of upholding the rights and freedoms and high degree of autonomy guaranteed by the Sino-British Joint Declaration.”

Sudan: Human Rights

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what the Government's policy is on the recommendation of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to establish a fact-finding mission to (a) monitor, (b) verify and (c) report on the situation in Sudan.

Harriett Baldwin: ​The British Government strongly supports the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and is working with partners on how best to work within the Council and beyond to ensure attention to Sudan's human rights situation. We welcome the African Union's commitment to a commission of inquiry into the events of 3 June. The UK supports the use of evidence gathered by brave witnesses and victims of brutality to ensure that accountability for serious abuses, which is vital, is delivered.

Sudan: Human Rights

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to help ensure that people guilty of human rights violations and abuses in relation to peaceful demonstrations in Sudan are held accountable for their actions.

Harriett Baldwin: ​The UK welcomes the African Union's commitment to a commission of inquiry into the events of 3 June. The UK is firm that there must be justice and accountability for atrocities committed by the former regime and for recent events. We have delivered these messages directly to the Sudanese authorities and publically, including in multilateral fora like the UN and the EU Foreign Affairs Council on 17 June. The UK, with international partners, is considering how we can hold Sudanese regime figures accountable for serious abuses. The UK strongly supports the mission of the International Criminal Court; due legal process must be followed.

UN Permanent Forum on People of African Descent

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what the Government's policy is on establishing a UN permanent forum on people of African descent at the 41st session of the UN Human Rights Council.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The UK and other EU Member States agreed, in principle, to the creation of the Permanent Forum on People of African Descent. The Permanent Forum was established during the 73rd session of the UN General Assembly by resolution 73/262. However, the UK and other EU Member States were unable to support this resolution. This was because of concerns around the specific modalities for its establishment, and that risk that the Permanent Forum could divert resources away from the full and effective implementation of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, which should remain the basis of all efforts to prevent, combat and eradicate racism.

International Decade for People of African Descent

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps they have (a) taken (b) plan to take as part of the UN Decade for African People in support of the theme entitled People of African descent: recognition, justice and development.

Dr Andrew Murrison: Her Majesty's Government has no specific plans to mark the UN International Decade for People of African Descent. However, the elimination of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance remains a priority for the UK.Domestically, the UK has one of the strongest legislative frameworks in place to protect communities from hostility, violence and bigotry and we keep it under review to ensure that it remains effective and appropriate in the face of new and emerging threats.Internationally, we work through the United Nations to ensure the international community focuses on strengthening national, regional and international legal frameworks, in order to make a reality of the protections contained in the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination.

Philippines: Drugs

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the implications for human rights of the Philippines Government's policy on illegal drugs; and if he will propose in the United Nations Human Rights Council the deployment of a United Nations Human Rights Council fact-finding mission to investigate the implications for human rights of the Philippines Government's policy on illegal drugs.

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to the Philippines Government's policies to tackle the use and trafficking of illegal drugs, what recent discussions his Department has had with the Philippines Government on promoting and protecting human rights.

Dr Andrew Murrison: We remain concerned about the high death toll associated with the "war on drugs" in the Philippines. We have urged the Philippines Government to act to put an end to these killings, to ensure prompt investigations and hold perpetrators to account. We continue to encourage them to find alternative methods for reducing the harm caused by illegal drugs.We agree that UN human rights mechanisms have a role to play in addressing these concerns, and regularly use our interventions at the UN Human Rights Council to press the Philippines authorities to investigate instances of abuse.The Minister for Asia and the Pacific, Mark Field MP, raised our concerns about human rights and the "war on drugs" with Philippines Ministers, including the then Minister for Foreign Affairs Alan Peter Cayetano, during his visit to Manila in August 2018. More recently, the Prime Minister's Trade Envoy to the Philippines raised our concerns with Cabinet Secretaries in February. These messages were also passed to Philippines Under-Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Enrique Manalo during the UK-Philippines High Level Talks in Manila in November 2018.

Saudi Rapid Intervention Group

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assurances he has received from the Saudi Government that the Saudi Rapid Intervention Group has not been active in the UK.

Dr Andrew Murrison: ​We do not comment on intelligence matters.

Saudi Arabia: Political Prisoners

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will review the UK's strategic relationship with Saudi Arabia as a result of that country's use of detention as a means of political repression.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The UK and Saudi Arabia have a longstanding bilateral relationship based on a number of pillars including defence; security; trade and investment; shared concerns about regional issues and energy security.We are concerned by use of detention as a means of political repression in Saudi Arabia. We raise concerns regularly and freely, using a range of Ministerial and diplomatic channels, including our Ambassador and Embassy team in Riyadh.

South Sudan and Sudan: Oil

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the level of oil exports from (a) Sudan and (b) South Sudan in the last two years; how much oil has been produced by each of those countries in the last two years; and how much revenue each Government has received in respect of oil production.

Harriett Baldwin: The published data on oil exports and revenue in both Sudan and South Sudan is difficult to verify. In Sudan the Central Bank publishes data on the total value of crude oil exports, US$ 321.5 million in 2017 and US$ 440.4 million in 2018, but we cannot guarantee its accuracy. There is no officially published data on South Sudan but the International Monetary Fund (IMF) collects data from different sources (including Government), and has reported exports of 42.0 and 43.5 million barrels in 2016/17 and 2017/18 respectively, raising revenues of US$ 910 million and US$ 1,072 million. The IMF estimates that out of its oil revenues the South Sudanese Government made oil-related payments to Sudan of US$ 480 million and US$ 781 million in 2016/17 and 2017/18 respectively, as a consequence of the 2012 agreement between Sudan and South Sudan. We welcome the Government of South Sudan’s commitment to expedite the process to join the Extractive Industries Transparency Index in the revised peace agreement.

Saudi Arabia: Administration of Justice

Mr Paul Sweeney: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Justice on the provision of capacity building programmes for the domestic legal system in Saudi Arabia.

Dr Andrew Murrison: ​The former Secretary of State for Justice, Chris Grayling MP, signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Saudi Ministry of Justice in 2015. A number of engagements, including a working-level visit, have taken place since that time. All overseas judicial assistance is subject to rigorous assessment based on the merits of the activity and weighing any potential risks, including human rights concerns.

Saudi Arabia: Overseas Trade

Mr Paul Sweeney: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he plans to review the trade relationship with Saudi Arabia as a result of the detention of political detainees and female activists in that country.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The UK and Saudi Arabia have a longstanding bilateral relationship based on a number of pillars including defence; security; trade and investment; shared concerns about regional issues and energy security.We are concerned by the detention of political detainees in Saudi Arabia. We raise concerns regularly and freely, using a range of Ministerial and diplomatic channels, including our Ambassador and Embassy team in Riyadh.No aspect of our commercial relationship with Saudi Arabia prevents us from speaking frankly and openly about human rights. We will not pursue trade to the exclusion of human rights. They can and should be complementary.

Saudi Arabia: Political Prisoners

Mr Paul Sweeney: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assurances he has received from his Saudi Arabian counterpart on the health and well-being of political detainees in that country.

Dr Andrew Murrison: ​We are concerned about the health and well-being of political detainees in Saudi Arabia. We raise our concerns regularly and freely, using a range of Ministerial and diplomatic channels, including our Ambassador and Embassy team in Riyadh.

Saudi Arabia: Political Prisoners

Mr Paul Sweeney: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he has made representations to his Saudi Arabian counterpart on the publication of proof of life evidence on political detainees being in custody in that country.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The British Government is very concerned about allegations of mistreatment of those detained in Saudi Arabia because of their political views. While we have not requested this information from the Saudi authorities, we continue to monitor these cases.

Guatemala: Indigenous Peoples

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make representations to his counterpart in the Guatemalan Government in response to reports of threats against human rights defender Domingo Vasquez and other members of the Nuevo Dia Ch'orti Indigenous Association in Guatemala.

Sir Alan Duncan: The UK is concerned by reports of Human Rights Defenders (HRDs) facing frequent intimidation and violence in Guatemala. Officials at our Embassy in Guatemala met with Peace Brigades International (PBI) in April to discuss the threats against Mr Vasquez and the Nuevo Dia Ch'orti Indigenous Association (CCCND). Since then the Embassy has been following the issue and continues to engage with non-governmental organisations like PBI, with the Guatemalan Government and the private sector, bilaterally and through like-minded groups of donors, to promote consultation with indigenous populations and better protection for HRDs.

Attorney General

Terrorism: Prosecutions

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Attorney General, what recent discussions he has had with the Director of Public Prosecutions on ensuring more effective prosecutions of cases involving individuals supporting terrorism abroad.

Mr Geoffrey Cox: The CPS has a strong record of bringing successful prosecutions in terrorism cases, and works closely with Counter Terrorism policing and partners to help build strong cases. Where individuals provide support to terrorism abroad, for example by funding terrorism, they should expect to be investigated by the police and prosecuted by the CPS if the evidential and public interest tests in the Code for Crown Prosecutors are met. Where crimes are committed abroad, Section 17 of the Terrorism Act 2006 provides the courts with extra-territorial jurisdiction in relation to a number of terrorism offences so that if an individual were to commit one of these offences in a foreign country, they would be liable under UK law in the same way as if they had committed the offence in the UK. As the nature of terrorism has evolved, section 17 has been amended to include further offences. The CPS strongly supported these legislative provisions to strengthen our ability to prosecute offenders.

British American Tobacco

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Attorney General, what the status is of the Serious Fraud Office investigation into British American Tobacco that was opened in 2017.

Lucy Frazer: Progress is being made on the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) investigation into allegations of corruption in the conduct of business by British American Tobacco Plc, its subsidiaries and associated persons. It would not be appropriate to comment on the status of a live criminal investigation further at this stage. When it is appropriate to do so, the SFO will publish updates on the status of the investigation on their website. The most recent information can be found at: https://www.sfo.gov.uk/cases/british-american-tobacco/

Cybercrime: Rule of Law

Mr Ranil Jayawardena: To ask the Attorney General, what recent discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the application of the rule of law to cyber activities.

Mr Geoffrey Cox: I regularly meet ministerial colleagues to discuss important issues of common interest, including on matters relating to the rule of law. As my predecessor set out in his speech at Chatham House in May 2018, the UK has been clear that we consider cyber space to be an integral part of the rules based international order that we are proud to promote. Cyber space is not a lawless world. It is the Government’s view that there are boundaries of acceptable state behaviour in cyber space, just as there are everywhere else. Hostile actors cannot take action by cyber means without consequence.

Department of Health and Social Care

Mechanical Thrombectomy

Sir David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish a list of Medical Directors responsible for neuroscience units designed to deliver mechanical thrombectomy.

Seema Kennedy: In 2017, NHS England announced the commissioning of mechanical thrombectomy for the treatment of acute stroke. Services are being developed nationally in 24 neuroscience centres, across National Health Service trusts and foundation trusts in England with 22 centres currently providing a thrombectomy service.All NHS trusts and foundation trusts have a Medical Director on their board responsible for the management and governance of clinical services. A list of medical directors is not collected centrally but would be held at a local level in respective trusts.

Doctors: Migrant Workers

Mohammad Yasin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to increase the recruitment of doctors from overseas through the Medical Training Initiative.

Stephen Hammond: The Medical Training Initiative enables up to 1,000 international medical and dental graduates per year to enter the United Kingdom to experience training and development in the National Health Service for up to two years before returning to their home country. The Government keeps the number of doctors able to participate in this scheme under regular review.

NHS: Staff

Mohammad Yasin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the speciality staff workforce in the NHS (a) throughout the UK and (b) in regions with high vacancy rates.

Mohammad Yasin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to increase the number of medical school places to help create a sustainable workforce.

Stephen Hammond: The Government has already committed to funding for universities to offer an extra 1,500 undergraduate medical school places for domestic students. The first 630 places were taken up in September 2018 and the remaining additional places will have been made available by universities by 2020/21. By 2020, five new medical schools will have opened in England to help deliver the expansion.The NHS Long Term Plan set out the need to ensure a sustainable overall balance between supply and demand across all staff groups. For doctors, it also focussed on reducing geographical and specialty imbalances. Subsequently, the interim NHS People Plan set out the action we will take now and over the long term to meet the challenges of supply, reform, culture and leadership, and changes in demand for health care. Actions include reviewing what further expansion in undergraduate medical places will be needed, in light of future plans made locally by sustainability and transformation partnerships and integrated care systems; and the establishment of a national programme board to address geographic and specialty shortages in doctors.

NHS: Staff

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of current staffing levels in the NHS.

Stephen Hammond: It is the responsibility of individual National Health Service health and care employers to have staffing arrangements in place that deliver safe and effective care. This includes recruiting the staff needed to support these levels and meet local needs.The NHS employs more staff now than at any other time in its 70-year history, with an increase of 78,000 full time equivalent staff since May 20101.The interim People Plan puts the workforce at the heart of the NHS and will ensure we have the staff needed to deliver high quality care. The Plan sets out how the NHS will increase the number of nurses, doctors and other staff working in the health service. The NHS will publish a final People Plan soon after the conclusion of the Spending Review.  Note:1NHS Digital Hospital and Community Health Services workforce statistics for England: latest data as at March 2019

Air Pollution: Health Hazards

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what data his Department holds on the safe level of exposure to (a) PM0.1, (b) PM1 and (c) PM2.5.

Seema Kennedy: It is not possible to determine, based on the currently available evidence, whether there is a safe level of exposure to particulate matter PM0.1, PM1 or PM2.5. However, the World Health Organization has developed air quality guidelines for air pollutants. These guidelines can be viewed at the following link:https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/69477/WHO_SDE_PHE_OEH_06.02_eng.pdf;jsessionid=2BA71982F81800529E1DDB3FDC4838D7?sequence=1

Smoking: Bus Services

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the implementation of the smoking ban in bus shelters.

Seema Kennedy: No such assessment has been made.

Prostate Cancer

Sir George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 14 June 2019 to Question 264727 on prostate cancer, how many people received a prostate-specific antigen score of below 10ng/ml in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Sir George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many MRI machines are available in the NHS that are capable of performing a multi-parametric MRI scan for a patient with suspected prostate cancer.

Sir George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the updated NICE guideline NG131 on prostate cancer diagnosis and management, how many NHS radiologists are (a) able to perform and (b) expected to be needed to meet future demand for multi-parametric MRI scans for an individual with suspected prostate cancer.

Sir George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the increase in demand for MRI machines over the next five years for multi-parametric MRI scans for individuals with suspected prostate cancer following the update to NICE guideline, NG131, on prostate cancer diagnosis and management.

Seema Kennedy: This information is not held centrally.

Eating Disorders: Mental Health Services

Kirstene Hair: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the outcomes for people suffering with eating disorders following the reduction in the waiting time target from 18 weeks to four weeks in England.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The waiting time standard for children and young people to start treatment for a routine eating disorder within four weeks is not currently applicable for adults.The Government is aware of the importance of early intervention when treating people with an eating disorder and we recognise that the earlier treatment is provided, the greater the chance of recovery.The Government set up the first ever waiting time standards to improve access to eating disorder services for children and young people, supported by £30 million a year to develop 70 new or extended community eating disorder services across the country. These have improved access to effective eating disorder treatment in the community, with the number of children and young people accessing treatment increasing from 5,243 in 2016/17 to 6,867 in 2017/18.

Smoking: Health Education

Bob Blackman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much funding his Department has committed to spend on campaigns to promote the cessation of smoking in 2019-20.

Seema Kennedy: Detailed funding planning is underway for 2019-20 smoking cessation campaigns. Audited spend will be available at the end of the financial year.

Human Papillomavirus: Vaccination

Andrea Jenkyns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to increase rates of vaccination of young people against the human papillomavirus.

Seema Kennedy: Coverage of the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine in teenage girls is high with nearly 84% receiving the full course of vaccine. HPV vaccination uptake data can be viewed at the following link:https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/760902/HPV_2017_2018_annual_report.pdfFrom September 2019, the HPV vaccination programme will be expanded to boys in school year eight. To help teenagers and their parents make an informed choice about the HPV vaccination programme Public Health England (PHE) developed a range of targeted materials to provide information. Local immunisation providers should share this information and signpost teenagers and their parents to these materials when the offer of HPV vaccination is underway in schools. These materials can be viewed at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/immunisation#human-papillomavirus-(hpv)-for-girlsIn addition, PHE has also worked closely with several charities such as Jo’s Cervical Cancer Trust and the Teenage Cancer Trust to develop lesson plans for schools to use to teach young people about cervical cancer and the HPV vaccine. These can be seen at the following link:https://www.jostrust.org.uk/information-healthcare-professionals/information-teachers; and https://www.teenagecancertrust.org/about-us/what-we-do/cancer-awareness/resources#cervicalcancer

Streptococcus

Andrea Jenkyns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the recent outbreak of group A streptococcal bacterial strain.

Seema Kennedy: 12 people have died while a further 20 cases have been reported, many among elderly people with existing health conditions. The infection risk of contracting group A streptococcal bacterial strain to the public is very low. Treatment with antibiotics is very effective, if started early enough. The local National Health Service continues to work closely with Public Health England and other partners to manage this local incident, and extra infection control measures have been put in place to prevent the infection spreading in the area.

Dental Services: Care Homes

Andrea Jenkyns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of dental support for elderly people in care homes.

Seema Kennedy: In June 2019, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) published the report ‘Oral health care in care homes’. Dental inspectors attended 100 routine inspections of care homes.The main findings included that most care homes did not have a policy to promote and protect oral health (52%), almost half of care homes were not training staff to support oral health care (47%) and 73% of care plans reviewed only partly covered or did not cover oral health.The report also found that around two thirds (67%) of the care homes reported that they could always, or nearly always, access National Health Service dental care and 10% reported they had no way of accessing emergency dental treatment for people. Around 34% of homes reported that there was no or limited access to out-of-hours services. Some care home managers stated that they had to call general practitioners, NHS 111, or even take the person requiring emergency care to accident and emergency. The CQC’s report can be viewed at the following link:https://www.cqc.org.uk/publications/major-report/smiling-matters-oral-health-care-care-homesWe will consider the recommendations of the CQC’s report carefully and support commissioners to take any action necessary to continue to improve the oral health of older people.

Hospitals: Food

Andrea Jenkyns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the merits of NHS plans to ask hospital cleaners to feed patients meals.

Stephen Hammond: Cross training of National Health Service staff to increase multi-skilling produces a more flexible workforce which will better support delivery of services. The multi-skilled staff who can undertake both cleaning and food serving will undertake these roles separately and at different times, and there are no issues of cross contamination or infection control as no sanitary jobs are carried out by those serving food.

NHS England: Private Sector

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the total payments made by NHS England to private providers in each of the last five years.

Stephen Hammond: Total spending by NHS Commissioners on private health providers in each of the last five years for which figures are available is shown in the following table.NHS Commissioners' spend on non National Health Service bodies by organisation type2013/142014/152015/162016/172017/18 £ million£ million£ million£ million£ millionIndependent sector providers6,4678,0678,8189,0078,765 Note: 1. The numbers above have been collected separately from audited accounts data and may include estimates.

Cannabis

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to regulate the cannabidiol market; and whether he plans to create a new medical model for the (a) tetrahydrocannabinol and (b) cannabidiol sectors.

Seema Kennedy: Given that cannabidiol extracts are found in many products and not just in food, Departmental officials are also working with other Government departments to assess all the relevant issues. We will consider evidence to develop the most suitable approach for regulation and compliance. The Food Standards Agency (FSA) will continue to engage with stakeholders on how the Government can achieve this. On 1 November 2018, the Government changed the law to enable specialist doctors to prescribe cannabis-based products for medicinal use. This includes products containing tetrahydrocannabinol and cannabidiol. The regulations use the existing regulatory frameworks for medicines and the misuse of controlled drugs, an approach which the Government believes is proportionate and evidence-based, ensuring that clinicians can access these products whilst minimising the risk of misuse, harm and diversion. The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has been working with local authorities, businesses, consumers and other stakeholders to determine how to regulate the cannabidiol market and achieve compliance in a proportionate manner.

Doctors: Private Sector

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to (a) identify and (b) mitigate against any conflict of interest by NHS consultants referring patients to private hospitals in which those consultants have an interest.

Stephen Hammond: NHS England guidance makes clear that all National Health Service staff, including consultants should declare all private practice on appointment, and/or any new private practice when it arises. Where clinical private practice gives rise to a conflict of interest then the general management actions outlined in guidance should be considered and applied to mitigate risks In addition, the General Medical Council is the independent regulator of doctors in the United Kingdom and sets the professional standards that all doctors must follow to practice in the UK. Doctors planning to refer a patient to an organisation in which they have a financial or commercial interest must tell the patient about that interest and make a note of this in the patient’s medical record. Doctors must be prepared to explain and justify their decisions and actions. Serious or persistent failure to follow this guidance will put their registration at risk

NHS: Staff

Mary Glindon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure (b) specialist roles and (b) Parkinson’s nurses are included in the NHS workforce plan.

Mary Glindon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what succession planning arrangements the NHS is making to minimise the vacancy rates for (a) Parkinson’s nurses and (b) other specialist roles.

Stephen Hammond: The National Health Service interim People Plan was published on 3 June 2019, it puts staff at the heart of NHS policy and delivery and recognises the current shortage of nurses as the most urgent challenge facing the health system. It calls for action to be taken now to make the NHS the best place to work, by reforming the culture and leadership and ensuring all staff (including nurses) feel supported and valued, in an effort to increase workforce recruitment and retention. The interim Plan proposes to increase the number of newly qualified NHS nurses, support and retain existing nurses, provide nurses with every opportunity to return to work, and bring in nurses from abroad. It commits to delivering 5,000 additional placements for nursing students, 7,500 further Nursing Associates, increasing undergraduate supply and broadening routes into nursing. There are no post-registration requirements for a Registered Nurse to become a Parkinson’s nurse. Therefore, local integrated care systems will be responsible for ensuring they have the necessary numbers of Parkinson’s (and other specialist) nurses to meet the needs of their local population.

Abortion

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant of his Answer of 16 May 2019 to Question 252526 on the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, what steps his Department takes to ensure that no conflict of interest occurs in the drafting of clinical guidelines on abortion procedures by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) is a professional membership association, independent of Government. The RCOG produces guidelines as an aid to good clinical practice and as the national medical authority on abortion, they are best placed to determine the content of guidance based on published evidence.

Spina Bifida: Surgery

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 14 February 2019 to Question 217544 on Spina Bifida: Surgery, what estimate he has made of the average cost of pain relief that will be administered an unborn baby prior to undergoing that fetal surgery.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The tariff that has been developed for spina bifida fetal surgery includes an estimate of around £800 for fetal drugs which includes drugs for pain relief. However, the actual cost will vary on a case by case basis dependent on the clinical circumstances.

Abortion

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department has taken to ensure the (a) thorough and (b) objective scrutiny of the recommendations submitted by abortion providers to the NICE consultation on its guidance on the termination of pregnancy.

Jackie Doyle-Price: This is a matter for the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), the independent body for the methods and processes used in the development of its guidance. NICE’s guidance is based on a thorough assessment of the available evidence and is developed through wide consultation with stakeholders. NICE will be publishing details of the feedback received from all stakeholders on the draft guidance on termination of pregnancy on its website. NICE will provide a response to all the points raised and explain how they have been addressed in the development of the recommendations, with guidance expected to be published on 25 September 2019.

Health: Children

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 1 July 2019 to Question 268980 on Health: Children, to which published research that Answer refers.

Jackie Doyle-Price: There are numerous published sources on adverse childhood experiences, including:UCL Institute of Health Equity published ‘The impact of adverse experiences in the home on the health of children and young people, and inequalities in prevalence and effects’ (2016). The report is available at the following link:http://www.instituteofhealthequity.org/resources-reports/the-impact-of-adverse-experiences-in-the-home-on-children-and-young-people/impact-of-adverse-experiences-in-the-home.pdfThe Journal of Public Health published ‘Adverse childhood experiences: retrospective study to determine their impact on adult health behaviours and health outcomes in a UK population’. The report is available at the following link:https://academic.oup.com/jpubhealth/article/36/1/81/1571104?searchresult=1

Abortion

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to his Department's Abortion Statistics for England and Wales in 2018, how many of the 111 selective terminations were as a result of IVF treatment that was funded from the public purse.

Jackie Doyle-Price: This information is not collected centrally.

Abortion

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to his Department's Abortion Statistics for England and Wales in 2018, what assessment he has made of the implications for his Department's policy of the increase in the number of repeat abortions.

Jackie Doyle-Price: Repeat unintended pregnancy and abortion is a complex issue associated with increased age and longer exposure to pregnancy risks. Before discharge from abortion services future contraception should be discussed with all women and contraceptive supplies offered. We are also looking at ways to increase access to contraception, which will be set out in Public Health England’s reproductive health action plan to be published this year.

Department for International Development

International Planned Parenthood Federation: Sexual Offences

Sir William Cash: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment has been made of the effectiveness of his Department’s response to the allegations of sexual misconduct within the International Planned Parenthood Federation.

Sir William Cash: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps his Department is taking in response to the recent allegations of institutional and sexual  abuse of young people in the International Planned Parenthood Federation.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The UK government take issues of fraud and sexual exploitation and abuse and sexual harassment extremely seriously. As set out in DFID funding agreements with all partners, the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) has a clear obligation to report incidents to us.Over the past year, IPPF’s Director General and IPPF’s Safeguarding Unit have taken significant steps to strengthen their internal systems and to shift culture at the organisation so that people feel safer and more able to report wrongdoing. Action taken by IPPF includes a Safeguarding Taskforce to review and improve overall processes; IPPF’s first employee engagement survey; a set of best-practice safeguarding policies and procedures, including an Independent Complaints Panel; an IPPF SafeReport, which provides a safe space for anyone – including staff, clients, volunteers or member of the public – to raise concerns.We continue to regularly review IPPF against our high standards for safeguarding, whistleblowing, risk, governance and code of conduct, and we conduct regular assessments of their safeguarding procedures. In addition to recent safeguarding reforms, IPPF is currently conducting a review of its governance system and structures, which IPPF anticipate will take around six months. During this time DFID will monitor IPPF’s governance reforms closely and regularly.

Department for Education

Adoption

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will bring forward plans to improve access to intermediary services for adopted children seeking to contact their biological relatives.

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will make an assessment of the effectiveness of the process by which adoptees access intermediary services for contact with biological relatives.

Nadhim Zahawi: We do not have any plans to improve intermediary services for adopted children or adoptees as there is a clear legislation framework in place. Under Section 98 of the Adoption and Children Act (2002) (England and Wales), an adopted person over the age of 18, as well as birth relatives of an adopted adult, now have the legal right to ask an adoption agency or adoption support agency that has registered as an intermediary agency to provide a service to let the adopted relative or birth relative know of their wish for communication. The agency can then seek information from a range of sources to identify and trace the adopted person. This new law came into effect from 30 December 2005. Priority will be given to cases where the adoption order was made on or before 12 November 1975. Any agency that provides an intermediary service must do so in accordance with the Intermediary Services Regulations (2005). The regulations require the intermediary agency to have regard to the welfare of the applicant, the subject of the application, and any other person who may be identified or otherwise affected by the application. Ofsted inspect adoption agencies who provide intermediary and birth records counselling to ensure it is well organised and accessible and that adopted adults and birth relatives are appropriately supported to understand their experiences. Where poor performance is found Ofsted set out how services should be improved.

Schools and Universities: Admissions

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the June 2019 Sutton Trust and Social Mobility Commission report Elitist Britain 2019: the educational backgrounds of Britain's leading people, what steps he is taking to tackle social segregation in schools; and whether he plans to introduce contextual recruitment and admissions practices for entry to the UK's top universities.

Chris Skidmore: The gap between state-funded schools and independent schools has never been smaller. 85% of state-funded schools are now rated good or outstanding, compared to 68% in 2010. This has been driven by a range of reforms focusing on levelling the playing field and strengthening education from the bottom up.Phonics is helping early literacy. More pupils leave primary school meeting the expected standards in maths and English. Our reformed GCSEs make sure 16-year-olds have the knowledge parents expect. The department is also encouraging good independent schools to provide means-tested bursaries, which broadens their intake to include pupils that would not otherwise be able to attend. Furthermore, the department is seeking to increase the number of partnerships between state-funded schools and good independent schools.Universities are independent, autonomous bodies. As such, they are responsible for their own admissions decisions. We are aware that many of them already adopt contextual admissions practices, to encourage increased numbers of applications from disadvantaged students with the potential to succeed at university and we support such initiatives.

Ministry of Justice

Youth Justice Board: Grants

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the value was of the Youth Justice Board grant to each local authority in each year from 2010.

Edward Argar: Table A attached sets out the total funding the Youth Justice Board (YJB) has given to local authorities in each year from 2009/10 to 2017/18 as published in the 2017/18 annual youth justice statistics (published totals for 2018/19 are not yet available). Table B breaks this down by local authority. The majority of this funding helps support the day-to-day business of Youth Offending Teams (YOTs), but it also includes some discrete additional grants for specific projects or initiatives, for example funding for restorative justice. The annual recorded value of the additional grants is set out in Table C. Due to a change in reporting processes the additional grants given in 2014/15 and 2015/16 were not included in the published totals in the 2017/18 youth justice statistics. The totals for these years therefore differ between Table A (where the additional grants are not included) and Table B (where they are included). Reductions in the grant over the past decade have been made alongside a decrease in statutory caseloads and as part of wider savings.



Tables A, B and C
(Word Document, 44.18 KB)

Prison Officers: Riot Control Weapons

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of protection available to prison officers who are not trained in the use of PAVA spray.

Robert Buckland: The Government is clear that prison officers should have the best possible protection when facing physical violence that is sometimes directed against them. We plan to roll out PAVA, a synthetic pepper spray, to all adult male closed establishments which have fully implemented the key worker scheme – which is vital in building relationships between offenders and staff. PAVA will be rolled out alongside training in a newly developed personal protection system. Additionally we will be making rigid bar handcuffs available to prison officers for use during prisoner control and restraint in the male estate, and body worn video cameras are already available to staff across the estate.The Assault on Emergency Workers Act 2018 has doubled the maximum sentence from 6 to 12 months in prison for assaulting prison staff. This new law means that judges must consider tougher sentences for a range of other offences - including GBH and sexual assault - if the victim is a prison officer.

Education: Prisoners

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 13 June 2019 to Question 262421 on prisoners: education, how his Department assesses the range of courses that should be delivered without collecting information on the courses the Parole Board recommends prisoners complete.

Robert Buckland: Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) plans the provision of accredited programmes by obtaining a national overview of demand, and more local analyses to understand demand at sites in order to plan provision. This enables us to identify a demand above supply, for example where the Parole Board is limiting progression due to a lack of provision, we are able to identify this and make changes to the provision. It is the responsibility of HMPPS, not the Parole Board, to assess the suitability and eligibility of offenders for accredited programmes as part of their wider sentence plan. We have a wide range of accredited programmes for prisoners to attend where they are identified as suitable. We always try to ensure that courses are available to prisoners at a suitable time in their sentence.

Prisons: Private Sector

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 18 June 2019 to Question 264474 on prisons: private sector, how he defines funded posts.

Robert Buckland: The term funded posts refers to the cost of employing suitably skilled staff.

Courts and Probation: ICT

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 21 June 2019 to Question 263817 on Courts and Probation: ICT, if he will publish the cost to the public purse of the IT systems failures in probation services and the courts in January 2019 once those discussions with suppliers have concluded.

Robert Buckland: The MoJ is unable to confirm the position on the release of information related to the cost to the public purse, as it pertains to the IT outage experienced in January 2019, until negotiations have concluded. Therefore it is not possible to provide any information pertaining to the quantification of costs, at this time.

Prisons: Private Sector

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 18 June 2019 to Question 264474 on Prisons: Private Sector, how many sufficiently trained and experienced (a) prison custody officers and (b) other staff have contractors at each establishment told the Government they require to maintain safe and decent prisons.

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answers of 18 June 2019 to Question 264474 on Prisons: Private Sector and of 11 June 2019 to Question 259342 on Prisons: Contracts, whether HMPPS Controllers are required to keep a record of the number of prison custody officers certified to act as such at establishments for which they have responsibility.

Robert Buckland: As we have stated previously, all staffing matters, including the responsibility of ensuring the availability of sufficiently trained and experienced staff to maintain safe and decent prisons, sit with contractors. There is no requirement in the contracts to agree staffing levels with the Ministry of Justice. We do not hold data on the number of Prison Custody Officers certified. The role of the Controller is to monitor performance at the prison across a range of indicators. Any concerns in relation to these performance indicators are discussed with the provider, and, where necessary, appropriate action is taken in accordance with the contract. Private providers continue to play an important role in the prison estate and I can assure you that performance of all providers is closely monitored and we will not hesitate to take action where standards fall short.

Prisons: Crimes of Violence

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 23 May 2019 to Question 256426 on Prisons: Crimes of Violence, how many (a) assailants, (b) suspected assailants and (c) victims there have been in respect of such incidents in each year for which information is available.

Robert Buckland: The numbers of assailants, suspected assailants and victims are set out in Table 3.2 of Assaults in prison custody 2000 to 2018, available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/safety-in-custody-quarterly-update-to-december-2018. Full details of the methods used for collating these data can be found in the ‘Guide to Safety in Custody Statistics’, available at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/797079/safety-custody-statistics-guide.pdf

Ministry of Justice: Iron and Steel

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will sign his Department up to the UK Steel charter.

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department has had discussions with the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy on the UK Steel charter.

Edward Argar: The Ministry of Justice will sign the Charter. The MoJ supports the Charter where this is relevant to our commercial activities and only where consistent with the relevant procurement regulations that require fair and open competition. Andrew Stephenson MP, Parliamentary Undersecretary of State at the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, wrote to Secretary of State for Justice on 29 May to ask my Department to sign the Steel Charter.

Injunctions: Fracking

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the effect of civil injunctions sought by and granted to shale gas companies on the rights of communities to protest shale gas developments; and if he will make a statement.

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what data his Department collects on civil injunctions which place restrictions on protest activities; and if he will make a statement.

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many custodial sentences have been issued for breaches of civil injunctions in the last ten years, and how many of those sentences placed restrictions on protest activities.

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many civil injunctions placing restrictions on protest activities were (a) sought by and (b) granted to private companies in (i) 2016-2018, (ii) 2013-2015, (iii) 2010-2012 and (iv) 2007-2009.

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many civil injunctions against persons unknown were (a) sought by and (b) granted to private companies in (i) 2016-2018, (ii) 2013-2015, (iii) 2010-2012 and (iv) 2007-2009.

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what data his Department collects on civil injunctions which place restrictions on protest activities.

Paul Maynard: MoJ publishes data on the overall number of injunctions applied for and granted but this does not include detail of whether the injunctions were sought by or granted to private companies, or whether the injunctions relate to or place restrictions on protest activity. This information is not readily available and would require each court file to be checked for the required information which would incur disproportionate costs. No assessment has been made of the effect of civil injunctions sought by and granted to shale gas companies on the rights of communities to protest shale gas developments. The Ministry of Justice has published information on the number of defendants sentenced to immediate custody for ‘Breach of the conditions of an injunction against harassment’:https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/802314/outcomes-by-offence-tool-2018.xlsx. However, it is not possible to identify any restrictions placed on protest activities, as this information is not held in the court proceedings database.

Legal Aid Scheme: Finance

Mr Marcus Fysh: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of re-allocating the funding for legal aid for immigration cases to domestic family law mediation cases.

Mr Marcus Fysh: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of applications for legal aid in relation to (a) family law mediation costs and (b) immigration cases were successful since 2016.

Paul Maynard: Mediation for family law cases is already available under Part I of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 (LASPO). The department recently conducted an extensive review of LASPO and has announced several changes as part of the Legal Support Action Plan. These included expanding the scope of legal aid in family law to cover representation for special guardianship orders and placement orders. Data is not held on successful cases, but the Legal Aid Agency does hold data on cases that have started (and are funded by legal aid). These statistics are included below for both family law mediation and immigration cases for the last three years: Legal aid in cases involving family law mediation  Financial YearFamily Mediation  starts2016-177,6112017-186,3022018-196,515Note: ‘Proportion started’ data is not held for family mediation matters, as the application process and decision on whether to grant funding is devolved to the solicitor in question (the provider).  Legal aid in cases involving Immigration   Legal helpCivil representationFinancial YearGrantsApplicationsGrantsProportion granted 2016-1729,1111,9041,40474% 2017-1826,6091,5961,20375% 2018-1928,8211,5351,15575%  Legal help is assistance short of representation. Note: ‘Proportion granted’ data is not held for Legal Help matters, as the application process and decision on whether to grant funding is devolved to the solicitor in question (the provider).

Offences against Children: Lancashire

Sir Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many adults were convicted of offences involving the grooming of children in Lancashire by age profile in (a) 2016, (b) 2017 and (c) 2018.

Robert Buckland: The Ministry of Justice has published information on the number of convictions for offences involving the grooming of children by Police Force Area and age ranges up to December 2018, which can be found in the Principal offence proceedings and outcomes by Home Office offence code data tool available here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/804510/HO-code-tool-principal-offence-2018.xlsx Filter the Police Force Area field to ‘Lancashire’Select 88A Sexual grooming in the Offence filter, which will display prosecutions and outcomes in the pivot tableTo display convictions by age range, remove the ‘Values’ field from Rows and drag Convictions into the Values area, and Age Range into the Rows area. Note that data for 2017 and 2018 allows a more detailed breakdown of age ranges than previous years. Please note that Police Force Areas provide breakdowns of where offences were dealt with (not where they were committed).

Knives: Crime

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will make an assessment of the effectiveness of the penalties incurred for knife crime.

Edward Argar: For possession or threatening with an offensive weapon or possession of an article with a blade or point offences, offenders are now more likely to receive an immediate custodial sentence for a knife and offensive weapon offence and to go to prison for longer than at any point over the past 10 years. In the year ending March 2019 over a third (37%) of offences resulted in immediate custody, compared to 22% in the year ending March 2009. The average length of immediate custodial sentences has increased from 5.5 months in the year ending March 2009 to 8.1 months in the year ending March 2019. This is the highest since the series began.There are a range of offences available to prosecute knife crime and Parliament has set penalties that are proportionate to the nature of these serious offences. Unlawful possession of a knife or offensive weapon in public is a serious criminal offence with a maximum penalty of four years’ imprisonment. Since 2015, adults convicted of threatening with a knife in public, or for second or subsequent knife possession face a minimum sentence of 6 months’ imprisonment and young people aged 16 or 17 face a minimum sentence of a 4 month Detention and Training Order. Courts can only depart from minimum sentencing if the court considers would be unjust in all the circumstances to impose these terms. Where someone is physically injured by a knife or offensive weapon there are a range of other offences, such as causing grievous bodily harm, that the person may be charged with. These can result in lengthy determinate sentences or life imprisonment. In England and Wales, all murder convictions for adults must result in a life sentence, and the Criminal Justice Act 2003 sets out a starting point of a minimum term in prison of 25 years for offenders aged 18 and over who bring a knife or another weapon to the scene of a murder with the intention of using it. It is already the case that for offences where the possession or use of a knife or offensive weapon is not inherent to the offence or charged separately, possession will be treated as an aggravating factor, which increases the seriousness of the offence. This is outlined in several sentencing guidelines produced by the independent Sentencing Council.

Reoffenders: Sentencing

Neil O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average number of previous (a) cautions and (b) convictions offenders had in each year since 2007 before being sentenced to an immediate custodial sentence for (i) possession of a blade or point, (ii) possession of an offensive weapon, (iii) common assault, (iv) assaulting a police officer, (v) sexual assault, (vi) public order, (vii) theft, (viii) robbery, (ix) burglary, (x) drugs, (xi) criminal damage, (xii) breach of anti social behaviour order, (xiii) fraud and (xiv) vehicle taking.

Neil O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people sentenced to an immediate custodial sentence for (a) possession of a blade or point, (b) possession of an offensive weapon, (c) common assault, (d) assaulting a police officer, (e) sexual assault, (f) public order, (g) theft, (h) robbery, (i) burglary, (j) drugs, (k) criminal damage, (l) breach of and anti-social behaviour order, (m) fraud, (n) vehicle taking in each year since 2007 had (i) no, (ii) between one and four, (iii) between five and nine, (iv) between 10 and 15, (v) between 16 and 25, (vi) between 26 and 50, (vii) between 51 and 75, (viii) between 76 and 100 and (ix) 101 or more convictions and cautions for an offence.

Edward Argar: The information requested is provided in the tables attached with this answer. These tables include data, covering the period 2007 – 2018, on:The average number of previous convictions and cautions of offenders who were sentenced to immediate custody for specified offence types.The number of offenders with a specified number of previous cautions and convictions who were sentenced to immediate custody for a specified offence.



Table
(Excel SpreadSheet, 28.43 KB)

Offensive Weapons: Sentencing

Neil O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people were given an immediate custodial sentence for possession of an offensive weapon in each year since 2007; and of those people how many had (a) no, (b) one to four, (c) five to 10 and (d) 11 or more previous cautions or sentences for carrying an offensive weapon.

Edward Argar: The information requested is provided in the table below. Please note that 2007 data has not been included as the time series data on the number of possession of offensive weapon offences used in the knife possession bulletin is only available from quarter 4 in 2007, so a full year’s data is not available. Number of offenders1 given immediate custody for a possession of an offensive weapon offence by year and number of previous2,3 convictions or cautions for the same offence, England and Wales4, 2008 to 2018.Number of offendersYearNumber of previous convictions and cautionsTotal01 to 45 to 1011 or more20081,660533102,19420091,715509502,22920101,460421301,88420111,552480202,03420121,340454201,79620131,195349301,54720141,193362201,55720151,286391101,67820161,490478201,97020171,543534202,07920181,416505001,921Source: Ministry of Justice extract of the Police National Computer.Notes:1) Each offender is counted only once in each year they were given an immediate custodial sentence for possession of an offensive weapon, but may appear in multiple years.2) Previous occasions on which the offences for which the offender was cautioned or convicted included possession of an offensive weapon, as counted on the last occasion in each year that the offender was given an immediate custodial sentence for offences including possession of an offensive weapon.3) Previous sentencing occasions may have resulted in an immediate custodial sentence.4) England and Wales includes all 43 police force areas plus the British Transport Police.

Courts: Translation Services

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the (a) number of court cases rescheduled due to problems with interpreting or translating services and (b) additional cost incurred from that rescheduling in each of the last three years.

Paul Maynard: The Ministry does not hold central data for all jurisdictions and hearing types in which interpreters are used and to manually review each case would incur disproportionate costs. However, central information does exist on the number of trials listed in the criminal courts which were adjourned as a result of interpreters being unavailable. This data is published in Criminal Court Statistics.https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/criminal-court-statisticsA table detailing such occurrences over the last three years for which data is available is copied below.  Crown CourtsMagistrates’ CourtsYearNumber of trialsAdjourned due to interpreter availability% of trials adjourned due to interpreter availabilityNumber of trialsAdjourned due to interpreter availability% of trials adjourned due to interpreter availability201637,339300.1%149,4234950.3%201734,579290.1%136,9624230.3%201829,583170.1%123,0234950.4% As the associated costs for HMCTS of rescheduling trial cases will vary, depending on whether other work was able to be heard in that courtroom, this information is not held centrally.The department continues to monitor its language service contracts closely and work with the suppliers to drive improvements and reduce the cost on the taxpayer. The Language Service contract has achieved a fulfilment rate of 97% over the first quarter of 2019.

Assaults On Police and Prison Officers: Sentencing

Neil O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people received a (a) custodial and (b) non-custodial sentence for assault of a (i) police officer and (ii) prison officer in each year since 2007, and what the average custodial sentence was for those offences.

Robert Buckland: The number of people who received a) custodial and b) non-custodial sentences for assault on a police officer or prison officer in each year since 2007, and the average custodial sentence lengths for these offences can be found in the accompanying table.



Table
(Excel SpreadSheet, 14.11 KB)

Prisons: Private Sector

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 18 June 2019 to Question 264474 on Prisons: Private Sector, how many of the funded posts for Prison Custody Officers at each privately managed prison were filled as of the dates those figures relate to.

Edward Argar: As we have stated previously, all staffing matters, including the responsibility of ensuring the availability of sufficiently trained and experienced staff to maintain safe and decent prisons, sit with contractors. There is no requirement in the contracts to agree staffing levels with the Ministry of Justice. We do not hold the information requested. Private providers continue to play an important role in the prison estate and I can assure you that performance of all providers is closely monitored and we will not hesitate to take action where standards fall short

Powers of Attorney: Fraud

Melanie Onn: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent assessment he has made of the susceptibility of the lasting power of attorney process to fraud.

Edward Argar: OPG are aware of 2 cases of the fraudulent creation of LPAs in the last 6 months – out of over 890,000 registered in 2018/19. We are not aware of any concerns of fraud being raised with the OPG in relation to the process of creating LPAs in the previous 5 years. Both cases have been thoroughly investigated and a lessons learned exercise conducted – part of which was an assessment of the process of registering an LPA. We have extremely good working relationships with the financial and legal sectors – and work closely with them to ensure that our processes together do all they can to eliminate fraud. As of 31st March 2019, OPG had 3,906,416 powers of attorney and deputyship orders on its register and in the financial year 2018/19 we undertook 2,883 investigations covering a whole range of issues. This represented 0.07% of the total powers on the register. And only in 25% of those cases was there any need for court action in relation to the deputy or attorney albeit not all court applications were for removal of an attorney or deputy, some applications relate to requests for information or clarifying a person’s capacity. Where, as a result of an investigation, OPG has evidence that fraud may have taken place we will make a referral to the relevant police authority.

Treasury

Cash Dispensing

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department has carried out an impact assessment of the effect of reduced access to cash among vulnerable groups including (a) disabled people, (b) BAME people and (c) people on low incomes.

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department has carried out an impact assessment of regional disparities in access to cash.

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department has conducted an impact assessment of the effect of reduced access to cash on small businesses.

John Glen: The Government has not conducted an impact assessment on the effect of reduced access to cash on small businesses, on vulnerable groups or on regional disparities in access to cash. The Government initiated a discussion on payment methods at Spring Statement 2018 through a Call for Evidence on Cash & Digital Payments in the New Economy. This sought to gather evidence on how changing preferences for cash and digital payments impact on different sectors, regions and demographics. In its recent response to this Call for Evidence, the Government set out its commitment to supporting digital payments whilst safeguarding access to cash for those who need it. It announced a Treasury-led Joint Authorities Cash Strategy (JACS) Group, bringing together the Bank of England, Financial Conduct Authority and Payments Systems Regulator to inform and co-ordinate members’ activities related to cash. Additionally, the Government-established Payment Systems Regulator (PSR) is closely monitoring developments in ATM provision. The PSR regulates LINK, the scheme which runs the UK’s ATM network, and has used its powers to hold LINK to account over LINK’s commitments to preserve the broad geographic spread of the ATM network.

Financial Services

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions he is having with fin tech providers on delivery of financial services to people and businesses affected by lack of access to cash.

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to increase access to cash in areas without ATMs.

John Glen: The Government is committed to supporting digital payments, whilst safeguarding access to cash for those who need it. In light of changing payment trends, Government has created the Joint Authorities Cash Strategy Group. This Treasury-led Group, brings together the Bank of England, Payment Systems Regulator and Financial Conduct Authority to inform and co-ordinate members’ activities related to cash. The Government has also invested over £2bn in the Post Office to maintain a stable network of branches where people can carry out their day-to-day banking. The wider banking and finance industry has a key role to play and Government supports industry efforts to develop creative and innovative ways to maintain access to, and acceptance of, cash. The industry is committed to helping local communities identify and secure appropriate free access to cash for customers. Regarding specific discussions, Treasury Ministers and Officials have meetings with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery. Details of ministerial and permanent secretary meetings with external organisations on departmental business are published on a quarterly basis and are available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmt-ministers-meetings-hospitality-gifts-and-overseas-travel

EU Budget

John Redwood: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the UK has financial liabilities to the EU in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a withdrawal agreement.

John Glen: The Government has been clear from the outset of negotiations that if we left the EU without a deal, the UK has obligations to the EU, and the EU obligations to the UK that will survive the UK’s withdrawal, and that these would need to be resolved.

Post Offices: Bank Services

Kirstene Hair: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions his Department has had with representatives from Post Office Ltd on  expanding the provision of banking services in post offices in rural communities.

John Glen: The Post Office agreed a three-year, industry-wide agreement known as the Banking Framework in January 2017. This agreement allows 95% of business and 99% of personal banking customers to access their account at post offices and marked the largest expansion of face-to-face banking in a generation, allowing communities and businesses to withdraw money, deposit cash and cheques and check balances at 11,500 Post Office branches in the UK. The volume of basic banking transactions undertaken at Post Offices has steadily increased since the introduction of the Banking Framework, with close to 130 million transactions in 2018. The Post Office has recently renegotiated the commercial terms and service enhancements for Banking Framework 2, which will take effect from January 2020. Under the new agreement, there will be a significant increase to the fees that the Post Office will receive from the banks for processing transactions. The Post Office’s overall income through Banking Framework 2 will only increase further as transaction volumes continue to grow. HM Treasury is very supportive of the agreement and recognises fully its role in providing continued access to over-the-counter banking services for customers across the country, particularly when a bank branch closes. However, these are commercial matters for the banks and the Post Office and they require full commercial freedom to consider what, if any, further banking services might be feasible to offer through the Post Office network.

Banks: Closures

Kirstene Hair: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment his Department has made of the effect on (a) high streets, (b) businesses and (c) communities of the closure of local bank branches.

John Glen: The Treasury does not make assessments of the bank branch network. The decision to close a branch is a commercial issue for the management team of the bank. However, Government believes it is important the impact on communities must be understood, considered and mitigated where possible. That is why the Government continues to be very supportive of the Access to Banking Standard and the commitment it places on banks to minimise the impact of branch closures, including by ensuring that customers are aware of the alternative ways they can continue to access banking services. The Financial Conduct Authority undertook an analysis of branch closures as part of their Strategic Review of Retail Banking Business Models. This analysis can be found in Annex 1 of the final report (https://www.fca.org.uk/publication/multi-firm-reviews/strategic-review-retail-banking-business-models-final-report.pdf)

Credit

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of introducing (a) a minimum dwell time and (b) prompts that require active demonstrations of consumer understanding on consumer credit application pages.

John Glen: The Government has fundamentally reformed regulation of the consumer credit market, transferring regulatory responsibility to the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) on 1 April 2014. Although the Treasury sets the legal framework for the regulation of financial services, the FCA is an independent body. Therefore this is a matter for the FCA. The FCA has tough enforcement powers – criminal, civil and regulatory – to protect consumers and to take action against firms and individuals that do not meet its standards. Since the transfer, the FCA has taken a proactive approach on consumer credit, to ensure that all consumers who use high-cost credit products are treated fairly.

Poverty: Wales

Ruth Jones: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Wales on the adequacy of the level of funding for tackling poverty in Wales.

Elizabeth Truss: Work is the best route out of poverty. Since 2010 there are 667,000 fewer children living in workless households – a near record low. Employment is at a record high, unemployment is at its lowest rate since the 1970s, and wages have outstripped inflation for a year. As a result of UK Government decisions at Budget, the Welsh Government benefited from a £550 million funding boost. This includes over £25 million resulting from a 5% uplift in Barnett consequentials as agreed in the Welsh Government’s Fiscal Framework. It is for the Welsh Government to decide how to spend this funding according to its priorities.

Dementia: Social Services

Andrea Jenkyns: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of social care funding for people living with dementia.

Elizabeth Truss: Dementia care is supported by both NHS and adult social care finding. As part of the NHS’s cash increase of £33.9bn a year by 2023-24 and outlined in their long-term plan, the NHS will provide better support for people with dementia through a more active focus on supporting people in the community. And over three years (2017-18 to 2019-20) we have given councils access to up to around £10bn more dedicated funding for adult social care.The Spending Review represents an opportunity to consider public spending priorities in the round, and the Treasury will be working closely with departments on funding issues, and with a renewed focus on delivering outcomes.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Vagrancy Act 1824: Wales

Chris Elmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent discussions he has had with the Welsh Government on repealing the Vagrancy Act 1824.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: This Government is clear that no-one should be criminalised simply for having nowhere to live and sleeping rough. The cross-Government Rough Sleeping Strategy, which was published in August 2018, committed to reviewing homelessness and rough sleeping legislation, including the Vagrancy Act 1824. The Government believes that review of the 1824 Act, rather than immediate wholesale repeal, is the right course of action to ensure the consequences of repeal are fully understood. MHCLG will report no later than March 2020.At the heart of the review will be the experiences and perceptions of a range of relevant stakeholders including the homelessness sector, the police, local authorities, business representatives, community groups and individuals with lived experience. As part of the review officials intend to consult the Welsh Government.The Government has now committed over £1.2 billion to tackle homelessness and rough sleeping over the spending review period. This year, Rough Sleeping Initiative investment totals £46 million and has been allocated to 246 areas – providing funding for an estimated 750 additional staff and over 2,600 bed spaces.

National Holocaust Memorial Centre and Learning Service

Sir Edward Leigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 19 June to Question 263696, what proportion of the engagement meetings organised or participated in by Big Ideas under that organisation's contract for the Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre have been held (a) in the City of Westminster, (b) in Greater London other than the City of Westminster and (c) outside Greater London.

Sir Edward Leigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 19 June to Question 263698, how many (a) schools, (b) mother and toddler groups, (c) housing associations and (d) Westminster community groups Big Ideas has (i) organised or participated in meetings with and (ii) engaged with in other ways on the Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre.

Sir Edward Leigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 19 June to Questions 263696, how many (a) Jewish and (b) other faith groups Big Ideas has (i) organised or participated in meetings with and (ii) engaged with in other ways on the Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: Big Ideas Community Interest Company have reached out to a range of community organisations across Westminster, Greater London and nationally. They have held meetings with those groups who expressed an interest in learning more about the proposed Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre either through direct engagement or hosting information in their newsletters. A list of direct engagements is below.Emmanuel Centre - Mother and Toddler GroupBoard of Deputies of British Jews Board MeetingBrixton Library - Foyer SpaceEmmanuel Centre - Homework ClubEmmanuel Evangelical Church - Sunday Service and Community LunchGrey Coat Hospital School - Y11 and Sixth Form GroupGrey Coat Hospital School - Year 9 ClassHolocaust Survivors' CentreKinder Lunch - Alyth Gardens SynagogueNational Holocaust Centre, Nottingham - AJR MembersOpen Age Westminster (Churchill Hub) - Coffee MorningRemembering and Rethinking - Kindertransport Conference - Lancaster HouseThamesbank Centre - ETAT Group (Encouragement Through the Arts and Talking)Thamesbank Centre - Mothers and Toddlers GroupThe Abbey Centre - The Wash House CafeTogether Plan - Memories of the Minsk GhettoUnited Synagogue - Annual Women's DinnerWiener Library - Heroes of the HolocaustWiener Library - Panel discussionWilliam Gibbs Community Centre - Coffee Morning

National Holocaust Memorial Centre and Learning Service

Sir Edward Leigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 19 June to Question 263698, for what reasons the Government’s contract with Big Ideas on the Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre does not specify engagement with existing users of Victoria Tower Gardens.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: The work of the Big Ideas Community Interest Company aims to engage local people whether or not they use Victoria Tower Gardens.

National Holocaust Memorial Centre and Learning Service

Sir Edward Leigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what the highest number of submissions was that Big Ideas submitted in a day to the Westminster Council website on the planning application for the Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: This information is available on Westminster City Council’s planning portal.

National Holocaust Memorial Centre and Learning Service

Sir Edward Leigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will place in the Library the speaking notes and presentations used by Big Ideas in its public engagement work on the proposed Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: The work of the Big Ideas Community Interest Company drew on material that is publicly available.

National Holocaust Memorial Centre and Learning Service

Sir Edward Leigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 19 June to Question 263703, how many of the 24 possible sites for the Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre reported by the CBRE to the board of the UK Holocaust Memorial Foundation on 11 January 2016 had not been brought to the board’s attention before that date.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: None were formally submitted to the Foundation.

National Holocaust Memorial Centre and Learning Service

Sir Edward Leigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 19 June to Question 263706, for what reasons Victoria Tower Gardens was not included in the site selection process for the Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre conducted by the UK Holocaust Memorial Foundation and the CBRE between September 2015 and 11 January 2016.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: CBRE was only one element in the search for potential sites.

National Holocaust Memorial Centre and Learning Service

Sir Edward Leigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answers of 19 and 21 June 2019 to Questions 263702 and 263704, on whose authority representatives of the UKHMF engaged in discussions with Royal Parks and government departments on 2 December 2015 on the possible use of Victoria Tower Gardens for the Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre; and for what reasons those discussions were not reported to the board of the UKHMF.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: Representatives of the United Kingdom Holocaust Memorial Foundation (UKHMF) engaged with the Royal Parks on the authority of the chair of UKHMF and Ministers.

National Holocaust Memorial Centre and Learning Service

Sir Edward Leigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 19 June to Question 263707, whether it is the Government’s policy that following the construction of the proposed Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre that there will be no continuing call on public funds for that centre's maintenance and operation.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: The United Kingdom Holocaust Memorial Foundation are considering various operating models to cover the running costs as part of a sustainable long-term plan.

National Holocaust Memorial Centre and Learning Service

Sir Edward Leigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether it is his policy that work on the Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre after planning permission has been secured will not begin until (a) pledges of funding from non-government sources of at least £25 million have been secured and (b) funding for ongoing maintenance and operation is in place.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: Funding arrangements will be in place before main construction begins.

National Holocaust Memorial Centre and Learning Service

Sir Edward Leigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, for what reasons the Government reduced the amount to be raised through the public fundraising campaign for the proposed Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre from £52 million to at least £25 million.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: The aim is to raise at least £25 million from charitable donations.

National Holocaust Memorial Centre and Learning Service

Sir Edward Leigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what estimate the Government has made of the possible (a) depth and (b) breadth of the roots of the mature trees in Victoria Tower Gardens which will potentially be affected by the construction of the proposed Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: We have undertaken and continue to undertake extensive arboricultural surveys to establish the extent of root systems which vary along the length of the gardens. We have also commissioned an arboricultural expert to advise on measures to enhance tree health.

National Holocaust Memorial Centre and Learning Service

Sir Edward Leigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will make it his policy that no construction work will begin on the Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre in Victoria Tower Gardens until the Government can provide an assurance that none of the roots of the plane trees in that location will be compromised by that construction.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: Measures have been undertaken to ensure the Memorial and Learning Centre will have minimal impact on tree roots. For example, as a result of ground-penetrating radar surveys carried out by arboricultural experts, the Memorial has been relocated further north than the original competition proposal to avoid tree root protection zones.

National Holocaust Memorial Centre and Learning Service

Sir Edward Leigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what will be the proportion reduction in the lawn area of Victoria Tower Gardens as a result of the proposed construction of the Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: The Holocaust Memorial will require seven and a half percent of Victoria Tower Gardens. Around eighty five percent green space being retained, with improved drainage and planting. Existing paths will be replaced with water permeable ones to increase the health of vegetation, including trees.

National Holocaust Memorial Centre and Learning Service

Sir Edward Leigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, on what date public access to Victoria Tower Gardens leading up to the fins of the proposed Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre will be permitted; and if he will place in the Library a plan showing the division between areas where public access (a) will and (b) will not be permitted.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: The aim is to open the Holocaust Memorial in late 2022. The public exhibition boards showing the area open to the public are available on the UK Holocaust Memorial Foundation website at  https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/761583/UK_Holocaust_Memorial_public_exhibition_boards_December_2018.pdf.

High Rise Flats: Insulation

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to identify (a) privately owned and (b) social housing high-rise blocks of flats with high pressure laminate cladding and combustible insulation.

Kit Malthouse: The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

High Rise Flats: Insulation

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what estimate his Department has made of the number of  (a) privately owned housing blocks and (b) social housing blocks with high pressure laminate cladding and combustible insulation that have been remediated.

Kit Malthouse: The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

High Rise Flats: Insulation

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department plans to take to ensure that high pressure laminate cladding and combustible insulation is removed from (a) privately owned and (b) social housing blocks in the event that the building owners do not remove that material.

Kit Malthouse: The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Community Housing Fund

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what plans the Government has to extend funding for the Community Housing Fund beyond 2020.

Kit Malthouse: The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Buildings: Insulation

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 20 June 2019 to Question 265525 on Buildings: Insulation, which materials referred to in the Written Statement of 1 May 2019, Official Report HCWS1533, have now been tested; and whether those tests have uncovered an immediate public safety concern.

Kit Malthouse: The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Buildings: Insulation

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what information his Department holds on large scale fire safety tests of timber cladding in the UK.

Kit Malthouse: The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Ministry of Defence

Autonomous Weapons: Training

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what training her Department provides on the operation of weapons systems.

Mark Lancaster: The Ministry of Defence provides both individual and collective training on the operation of weapons systems.There is a requirement to train all Recruits and Officer Cadets to operate a personal weapon system in Phase 1 (Basic) training. After that, the training requirement depends on the Training Needs Analysis. Those trainees who will be required to operate other weapons systems as part of their role will be trained during Phase 2 (Trade) training. This individual training meets the tasks that the weapons system operator will be required to perform, to the required standards and under the required conditions. Once the Serviceperson is trained, he or she will return to a Defence Training Establishment for further specialist operator training as required.Some weapons systems require team, or collective training. This is provided either in the workplace, for example on exercise or during unit training time, or back in a Defence Training Establishment in a simulator, where a team can learn together. Once the team have learned how to operate the weapons system to the required standard, they will take part in wider collective training activity that requires the weapons system as part of the evolution.Training for the operation of weapons systems, whether it be for an individual or for a team, is reviewed regularly to ensure it is relevant, effective, efficient, and safe.

Arms Trade

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the training available to those working in the arms industry.

Stuart Andrew: The defence sector supports many thousands of highly skilled roles across the UK. Many of our leading defence suppliers have programmes in place to ensure they have the right skills to deliver our defence programmes. Through the Defence Suppliers Forum, the Ministry of Defence maintains a close dialogue with industry to ensure we understand industry's approach to skills, and we are exploring new ways to partner with industry to ensure high levels of skills, knowledge and experience exist across the defence sector.

Children: Maintenance

Marion Fellows: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, by what methods (a) HM Paymaster, (b) the Defence Council and (c) an authorised officer determine the amount payable by a member of the armed forces in child maintenance.

Marion Fellows: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what criteria (a) HM Paymaster, (b) Defence Council and (c) an authorised officer use to determine when child maintenance should be paid.

Marion Fellows: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, under what circumstances (a) the MoD Defence Council, (b) an Authorised Officer, and (c) HM Paymaster is able to reject a deduction of earning request from the Child Maintenance Service.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The Child Maintenance Service (CMS) is responsible for setting the overall amount of child maintenance to be paid.The Ministry of Defence has a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in place with the CMS to facilitate the direct deduction of child maintenance payments from the pay of non-resident parents who are Service personnel. Under the MOU, the Department calculates a 'Minimum Drawing Rate', which takes into account gross basic pay, specialist pay, some allowances as well as gross statutory deductions such as National Insurance and PAYE.Child maintenance deductions are always made. The only exception is when the Service person is on military operations and their Commanding Officer may advise that engagement with the CMS be delayed until their return to the UK when they are in a position to consider properly any papers from the CMS and respond accordingly, at which point deductions would commence.I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave her on 11 June 2019 to Question 261264 which detailed the administrative reasons for the rejection of deduction of earnings requests.

Arms Trade: Climate Change

Tommy Sheppard: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 18 June 2019 to Question 264428, what assessment his Department has made of the environmental effect of the use of weapons that have been manufactured and sold by the UK.

Stuart Andrew: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) takes environmental and sustainability issues into account throughout its acquisition process. This extends to the defence industry via contract through Defence Standard 00-051 - Environmental Management Requirements for Defence Systems, and the MOD continues to engage with industry on its approach to sustainable procurement.The sale of weapons by the UK is tightly controlled, although any environmental impacts resulting from their use would be the ultimate responsibility of the end user.

Armed Forces: Heart Diseases

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 1 July 2019 to Question 269662 on Armed Forces: Heart Diseases, what criteria clinicians follow when seeking to detect significant structural and electrophysiological abnormalities in recruits.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: In line with European Society of Cardiology guidelines, a transthoracic cardiac echo is used to detect significant structural (such as the various cardiomyopathies) and electrophysiological abnormalities (such as abnormal QT syndromes and Brugada syndrome) in Army recruits.This follows a review of the recruit's full clinical history, a full clinical examination and electrocardiogram (ECG).RAF and Royal Navy recruits undergo a similar screening process but without an ECG. This is in line with American College of Cardiology guidelines.

Ministry of Defence: Credit Unions

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if her department offers employees a payroll deduction service to enable staff to join a credit union; and if she will make a statement.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him by my right hon. Friend, the then Minister for Defence Personnel, Welfare and Veterans (Mark Lancaster) on 11 January 2017 to Question 58448.



58448 - MOD Credit Unions
(Word Document, 22.26 KB)

Syria: Air Force

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, on how many occasions RAF personnel landed in Syria in each year from 2013 to 2019.

Mark Lancaster: RAF aircraft form part of the UK contribution to the counter-Daesh Coalition campaign in Iraq and Syria and perform a wide range of tasks. The Ministry of Defence does not hold a central record of the information requested.

Department for Work and Pensions

Occupational Pensions

Ms Angela Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the publication of the master trust and GPP defaults report by Corporate Adviser magazine, whether her Department plans to reduce the protection on charges for members of occupational pension schemes used for automatic enrolment.

Guy Opperman: The DWP have no such plans. The Corporate Adviser report (available on request from https://corporate-adviser.com/) showed that the vast majority of pension savers are in schemes are able to invest in a range of diversified assets at prices well below the automatic enrolment charge cap. Therefore I do not intend to reduce member protections. In my 2017 written statement HCWS249 (https://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-statement/Commons/2017-11-16/HCWS249/) I committed to reviewing the level and scope of the charge cap in 2020, alongside the suitability of ‘combination charges’ (where a percentage charge on funds is combined with a charge on contribution or a flat annual fee), to see whether a change is needed to protect members.

Universal Credit

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate she has made of the proportion of people working in the gig economy that are in receipt of universal credit.

Alok Sharma: The term “gig economy” covers a wide range of roles and working practices and the information requested is not held. The Department provides tailored support to our claimants who are in self-employment through our work coaches to help them to increase their productivity and earnings. Universal Credit encourages all claimants with a work expectation to find and progress in work. To support those already in, or considering self-employment, we have extended the New Enterprise Allowance (NEA) scheme from April 2019 onwards. The NEA provides support and mentoring for claimants who are looking to start or develop their business.

Funeral Payments

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how long on average it takes to (a) agree and (b) allocate the Social Fund funerals expense payment.

Will Quince: On average, it takes The Department for Work & Pensions 2-3 weeks to process a Social Fund Funeral Payment from the point of claim, to the decision maker determining whether entitlement exists. In the instances when entitlement exists, it then takes an additional 3-5 working days for the payment to credit to either the Funeral Director’s or claimant’s bank account.

Funerals

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she has plans to increase awareness among the relatives of deceased people of (a) direct funerals and (b) other funeral options; and if she will make a statement.

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans she has to increase (a) knowledge of, (b) access to and (c) take-up of social fund funeral payments.

Will Quince: My officials regularly engage with funeral and bereavement stakeholders to help them build awareness of the support available In August 2018, the GOV.UK website was updated with a step-by-step guide about to do after someone has died, including arranging a funeral and applying for a Funeral Expenses Payments. DWP is currently updating the leaflet that registrars give to people registering deaths. The revised version will include details of Funeral Expense Payments, and direct people to the GOV.UK step-by-step guide. DWP staff can also provide this information over the phone or in Jobcentres.

Public Health Funerals

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many pauper funerals were held in England in each of the last five years for which figures are available; and whether local authorities are in all cases able to claim back the costs of those funerals through the Social Fund funeral expenses fund.

Will Quince: The Social Fund Funeral Expenses Payments scheme is available to people on qualifying income based benefits. It does not provide funding for local authorities. My department does not collect data on the number of Local Authority funerals. MHCLG own the policy for Public Health (LA) funerals, but do not collect information on the number of public health funerals held.

Social Security Benefits: EU Nationals

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether an EU national granted settled status in the UK is classified as having a right to be habitually resident for the purposes of applying for (a) universal credit and (b) other benefits.

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many EU nationals have been refused universal credit in the last 12 months on the grounds that they have not demonstrated a right to be habitually resident.

Alok Sharma: Eligibility for income-related (means-tested) benefits, such as Universal Credit, depends on a person’s immigration status in the UK. Claimants must be exercising a legal right to reside and be habitually resident before they are eligible to claim. This is assessed through the Habitual Residence Test (HRT). EU nationals who have been granted settled status (indefinite leave to remain) by the Home Office will satisfy the legal right to reside element of the HRT. All claimants, regardless of nationality, must also demonstrate that they are factually habitually resident in the UK in order to be eligible to claim UC. In general, a period of 3 months residence is sufficient to meet this requirement. For certain non-contributory benefits, such as Personal Independence Payment, an individual must also satisfy the Past Presence Test (PPT), which requires them to have been present in Great Britain for 104 weeks out of the previous 156 weeks. Information on the nationality of those refused Universal Credit within the last 12 months is still being analysed, not readily available, and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

Personal Independence Payment

Wayne David: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Written Statement of 5 March 2019, Official Report column WS1376, what the implementation dates are for the new stipulations on personal independence payment.

Wayne David: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to her Written Statement of 5 March 2019, HCWS1376,what assessment she has made of the effect of new provisions for reviews of personal independence payments on the review timescale for claimants who are state pension age and over.

Wayne David: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to her Written Statement of 5 March 2019, WS1376, whether there will be regular reviews of personal independence payment awards to people (a) at and (b) above state pension age.

Justin Tomlinson: In March 2019 the Secretary of State announced that people receiving Personal Independence Payment (PIP) who have reached State Pension Age will no longer have their awards regularly reviewed, instead moving to a light touch review at 10 years. From 31 May 2019 new claimants to PIP whose review would have been scheduled after they had reached State Pension age will receive an ongoing award with a light touch review at 10 years. Claimants already in receipt of PIP will be moved to on-going awards from this July.This change is an important step in improving the claimant experience by reducing reviews for these claimants whose needs are less likely to change.

Personal Independence Payment

Gerald Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the suitability of the application process for personal independence payments for applicants with agoraphobia.

Gerald Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the suitability of the application process for personal independence payements for people with a learning disability.

Gerald Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the suitability of the application process for personal independent payments for people with post-traumatic stress disorder.

Justin Tomlinson: Claimants with a severe mental health or behavioural condition, learning disability, developmental disorder or cognitive problems can be provided with additional support during the claims process. This support can include help filling in the form or the questionnaire and additional protections for failing to return the questionnaire or for failing to attend a face-to-face assessment. Before attending a face-to-face consultation, claimants will be given the opportunity to alert their assessment provider of any additional requirements they may have, and the providers will meet any such reasonable requests. Claimants identified as being vulnerable (i.e. having mental health or learning disabilities) can access additional support at any point in the claim or assessment process.

Personal Independence Payment

Gerald Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the application process for personal independent payments for applicants that are homeless and do not have access to (a) a telephone and (b) IT facilities .

Justin Tomlinson: A claim to PIP can be made via a freephone telephone number by a 3rd party on behalf of the customer as long as they are present at the time of the call. This can be done through a number of support organisations or agencies, that are free to use, such as Citizens Advice. It is likely that the individual would already be working with or have been signposted to the Local Jobcentre Plus network and there is provision within JCP to support and access telephony within the JCP to make a claim to PIP. If the claimant is without a correspondence address or a fixed abode, the telephony agent will advise the claimant that letters can be sent to a local Jobcentre. The telephony agent will then assist the claimant to identify the address of a local Jobcentre.

Personal Independence Payment: Wales

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many personal independence payment underpayments were recorded in (a) Newport East and (b) Wales in 2018-19.

Justin Tomlinson: The specific breakdown you have requested is not available. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has no business need for a breakdown of this type and therefore our systems do not have this functionality. In 2018/19, DWP’s Fraud and Error estimates show that underpayments of Personal Independence Payment fell from 4.2% to 3.8%. Claimant error remains the biggest cause of underpayments. DWP continues to look at ways in which we can prompt claimants to tell us about changes that affect their benefits.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Horse Racing: Animal Welfare

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 6 June 2019 to Question 259406, what further action is being taken following the meeting on 14 May 2019, in order to tackle avoidable harm to horses.

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans his Department has to hold regular meetings on making horseracing safer with (a) the British Horseracing Authority and (b) other groups in the horseracing industry.

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many racehorses were killed on UK racecourses between 1 January and 31 May 2019.

David Rutley: The Government is keen that the welfare needs of racehorses are well met, both during their racing lives and afterwards. The British Horseracing Authority (BHA) is responsible for the safety of racehorses at British racecourses and the BHA works alongside the RSPCA and World Horse Welfare to make horseracing as safe as possible. However, both I and the BHA consider that more can be done to make horseracing safer which is why I have been holding regular discussions with the BHA about this. Most recently on 14 May, I met with the BHA as well as the new independent Chair of the BHA’s newly appointed Horse Welfare Board. This was a constructive meeting where the number of fatalities of racehorses was acknowledged, and both sides agreed that further action is required to tackle avoidable harm and make the sport safer. The Board committed to doing all it can to improve welfare outcomes. I stressed the need for the BHA to develop a robust action plan that will deliver tangible results and intend to stay in regular contact with the industry to continue to press for improvements in racehorse welfare. The number of racehorse fatalities at UK race tracks is published annually by the British Horseracing Authority. The latest available figures are for 2018 and were published on 29 January, which can be found at https://www.britishhorseracing.com/regulation/making-horseracing-safer/.The Government does not hold any data for 2019.

Greyhounds: Animal Welfare

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the Second report of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee of Session 2015–16, Greyhound welfare published on 10 February 2016 and its recommendation that regulations should be extended beyond racetracks to cover standards at trainers’ kennels, if he will amend the Welfare of Racing Greyhound Regulations 2010.

David Rutley: I refer my hon. Friend to my answer of 25 June to the hon. Member for Newcastle-under-Lyme, Paul Farrelly, to PQ 265461. The Government is currently considering whether changes are required to the Welfare of Racing Greyhound Regulations 2010 to protect the welfare of racing greyhounds used by professional trainers not running greyhounds on tracks regulated by the industry regulator, the Greyhound Board of Great Britain.

Bovine Tuberculosis: Disease Control

Emma Hardy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans he has for a peer-reviewed analysis of the effectiveness of badger culling in reducing the incidence of Bovine Tuberculosis in cattle herds in areas where badger culling schemes has been running for three years or more.

Mr Robert Goodwill: Rigorous statistical analysis, which adjusts for differences related to the risk of TB in cattle, has been carried out to measure any association between badger culling and cattle TB incidence in comparison to areas where badger culling has not taken place. This analysis covers data from four years of culling in Areas 1 and 2 (Gloucestershire and Somerset), and two years of culling in Area 3 (Dorset), and has been submitted to a peer-review journal.

European Maritime and Fisheries Fund

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many applications were (a) received and (b) granted by the Marine Management Organisation for funding from the European Maritime Fisheries Fund from statutory harbour authorities in each of the last five years; and how much funding (a) each applicant was applying for and (b) was granted.

Mr Robert Goodwill: Since 2014, there have been 26 applications from statutory harbour authorities, of which a total of £3.2 million of the European Maritime Fisheries Fund (EMFF) has been awarded to beneficiaries by the Marine Management Organisation (MMO). A breakdown for each of the last five years is as follows:  Approved in yearNo. of projectsEMFF £m201500201670.4201771.4201871.1201950.3Total263.2

European Maritime and Fisheries Fund

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much money was spent on (a) administration and (b) funding for the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund in each of the last five years for which data is available.

Mr Robert Goodwill: Since the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund opened in 2014, the annual cost of administrating the fund in England has been approximately £0.7 million. A total of £34.8 million grant funding has been paid out from the overall scheme, including technical assistance costs. A breakdown of funding paid out since 2014 is as follows:Year£ million20141.820152.820164.820173.320189.8201912.3Total34.8

Fisheries

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will publish the fishing policy for the UK based on the UK leaving the EU without a deal on 31 October 2019.

Mr Robert Goodwill: The UK’s vision for future fisheries management is laid out in the white paper, ‘Sustainable fisheries for future generations’.

Fisheries

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what agreements the Government has in place for UK fishing vessels to continue to access non-EU distant waters in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal.

Mr Robert Goodwill: UK fishermen are currently able to access some non-EU distant waters via the EU’s international agreements, for example with Norway and the Faroe Islands. We are undertaking detailed contingency planning in consultation with industry partners, with respect to potential successor agreements in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal.

Air Pollution: Health Hazards

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Health on the effect of poor air quality on the level of demand on the NHS.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The Secretary of State has regular meetings with his counterpart at the Department for Health and Social Care and they discuss air pollution and public health most weeks.

Climate Change: Health Hazards

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on the effect on the NHS of rising temperatures as a result of climate change.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: Tackling climate change is a cross-Government priority and is one of a range of issues the Secretary of State discusses with Cabinet colleagues. Defra works closely with the Department for Health and Social Care and other Government Departments and partner organisations to address domestic climate risks, including risks of overheating from high temperatures (one of the six priority risk areas identified in the Government’s second Climate Change Risk Assessment, published in 2017).

Brixham Harbour and Fisheries

Dr Sarah Wollaston: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has plans to direct the £10 million funding allocated to the  South West announced in the 2018 Budget to (a) the fishing industry and (b) the redevelopment of Brixham harbour.

Mr Robert Goodwill: As announced in the 2018 Budget, the Government is investing £10 million from BEIS’s allocation of the National Productivity Investment Fund for Research and Development to enhance the productivity and sustainability of fisheries and seafood industries across the whole of the UK. The Seafood Innovation Fund will disburse this money and help transform the industry to ensure the UK is a world leader in safe, sustainable and productive fishing. BEIS has asked Defra and Cefas to deliver this funding on behalf of UK Research and Innovation, given the specialist knowledge and understanding required to make the most of this opportunity. Details of the design of the fund are currently being finalised to ensure value for money and we expect the fund to launch shortly.

Home Office

Private Rented Housing: Ethnic Groups

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of the effect of right to rent on the ability of BAME tenants to access the rental market.

Caroline Nokes: The Government published an evaluation of the first phase of the Right to Rent Scheme in the West Midlands in October 2015, which found no evidence that the scheme caused systematic discrimination in the rental sector. This is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/evaluation-of-the-right-to-rent-scheme. The scheme was the subject of a public consultation and equality impact assessment prior to the introduction of the Immigration Act 2014. The Home Office is taking forward a further evaluation of the scheme’s operation across England.

Fire and Rescue Services

Karen Lee: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether he plans to implement the recommendations in the report of Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services on Fire and Rescue Service Inspections 2018/19.

Mr Nick Hurd: The Home Office will give the inspectorate’s findings, and in particular the recommendations which have been made to Government, detailed consideration as we engage with sector leaders to continue to improve performance in fire and rescue services.

Fire and Rescue Services

Karen Lee: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the conclusion in the report of Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services on Fire and Rescue Service Inspections that there are too few firefighters to meet the foreseeable fire risk.

Mr Nick Hurd: Fire services have the resources they need to do their important work. Overall fire and rescue authorities will receive around £2.3 billion in 2019/20.Operational decisions are for each fire and rescue authority to make as part of the integrated risk management planning process, drawing on the professional advice of their Chief Fire Officer.

Fire and Rescue Services

Karen Lee: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the findings in the report of Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services’ on Fire and Rescue Service Inspections 2018/19, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the resources available to fire service inspection programmes; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Nick Hurd: Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services has the resources it requires to deliver the fire and rescue services’ inspection programme.

Suffolk Fire Service: Standards

Karen Lee: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether he has made a recent assessment of the adequacy of Suffolk Fire Service’s (a) fire engine crewing levels, (b) emergency response times, (c) delivery of training and (d) firefighter numbers; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Nick Hurd: The independent inspection of Suffolk Fire Service is underway, led by HMICFRS with a final inspection report anticipated in December.The specific issues in the question will all be considered as part of the inspection.

Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service: Standards

Karen Lee: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether he has made a recent assessment of the adequacy of the day crewing plus duty system in place at Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Nick Hurd: It is the responsibility of fire and rescue services to ensure that they organise their resources effectively to deliver their core functions across prevention, protection and response. This includes decisions relating to duty systems.

Members: Correspondence

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when he plans to respond to the letter of 19 June 2018 from the hon. Member for Sheffield Central in respect of Written Parliamentary Questions on Tier 2 Visas, CTS Reference number M8354/18.

Caroline Nokes: The Home Office can confirm a substantive response to the questions raised is being prepared and apologises for the delay in responding.

Visas: Football

Patrick Grady: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many visas have been (a) applied for, (b) granted and (c) refused for footballers where the sponsoring organisation was in Scotland in each of the last five years.

Caroline Nokes: The available information relates to Tier 5 creative and sporting category, entry clearance visa applications, and resolutions (grants, refusals, withdrawals, lapsed), published in the quarterly Immigration Statistics Visas volume 1, table vi_01_q, latest edition at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/immigration-statistics-year-ending-march-2019/list-of-tables#visasInformation identifying footballers sponsored by Scottish employers could only be obtained at disproportionate cost by examination of thousands of individual case files.

Extradition: USA

Mr David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people were extradited from the UK to the United States in each year from 2013 to 2019.

Mr David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people were extradited from the UK to the United States for non-violent crimes in each year from 2013 to 2019.

Mr Nick Hurd: The following table provides the information requested: YearTotal number extradited from UK to USNumber extradited for non-violent offences2013119201418152015652016942017972018632019(to 30 June)54 We have taken non-violent offences to include:• Fraud• Drug related offences• Making false statements• Extortion• Illegally exporting restricted goods • Money laundering• Illegal trafficking in wildlife• Bigamy• Forgery• Grand Larceny• Identity Theft• Racketeering• Tax OffencesAll figures are from local management information, and have not been quality assured to the level of published National Statistics. As such they should be treated as provisional and therefore subject to change. The figures do not include Scotland, which deals with its own extradition cases.

Domestic Appliances: Fire Prevention

Derek Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps his Department is taking to help reduce the number of electrical fires in the home.

Mr Nick Hurd: Home Office officials routinely discuss electrical safety issues with the NFCC to ensure opportunities to drive down electrical fires and promote electrical safety are utilised.The Department has facilitated close links between the National Fire Chiefs Council, product safety officials at the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and the sector-led Register My Appliance initiative to promote electrical fire safety messages and encourages fire and rescue services to increase the focus on electrical and product safety within their engagement with members of the public.The Home Office’s national Fire Kills campaign, run in partnership with the NFCC, collaborates with Electrical Safety First to run the annual Electrical Fire Safety Week. The Week is used by fire and rescue services and others to promote electrical fire safety messages.

Immigration: EU Nationals

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate he has made of the number of applications that have been (a) received, (b) concluded and (c) turned down for the EU Settlement Scheme at 31 May 2019.

Caroline Nokes: The second official statistics – ‘EU Settlement Scheme Statistics, May 2019’ – on the operation of the scheme were published on 20 June 2019, including applications received and decisions made to 31st May 2019. These can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/eu-settlement-scheme-statistics-may-2019

UK Visas and Immigration: Biometrics

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many locations in Wales provided UK Visas and Immigration biometric services in (a) 2016 and (b) 2019.

Caroline Nokes: In 2016, there were four locations in Wales providing UK Visa and Immigration biometric services. These were branches of Post Office Limited, in Aberystwyth, Cardiff, Llandudno and Port Talbot.We are transitioning to new arrangements for biometric capture and so there are currently seven locations in Wales providing UK Visa and Immigration biometric services.These consist of: • two Post Office Limited branches (Llandudno and Port Talbot);• four locations run by our commercial partner Sopra Steria under the name of UK Visa and Citizenship Application Centres (one free to use (Cardiff) and three enhanced and fee-paid centres (Llandudno, Newport and Cardiff Bay); and• one UKVI office known as a “Service and Support Centre” (Cardiff).The two Post Offices are scheduled to stop offering this service in the coming weeks as the contract between Post Office and UKVI will end.

UK Visas and Immigration: Biometrics

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of trends in the availability of appointments at UK Visa and Immigration biometric services in each year from 2016 to 2019.

Caroline Nokes: It is not possible to assess trends in availability of appointments at UK Visa and Immigration biometric services in each year from 2016 to 2019. In 2016, applicants to UKVI did not make an appointment to provide biometrics to UK Visas and Immigration. UKVI sent a letter to customers which asked them to attend a branch of Post Office Limited at a convenient time, within 7 working days.From November 2018, the UK Visa and Citizenship Application Service (UKVCAS) was launched. This new service requires applicants to make an appointment. Appointments are available for free in 6 major cities, and there are an additional 56 local user-pay service centres located in libraries, and 1 premium lounge.In March 2019, the Service and Support Centres (SSCs) began capturing biometrics, again requiring an appointment to be made. There are seven SSCs located in major cities in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

UK Visas and Immigration: Biometrics

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions he had with the university sector on the demand for UK Visa and Immigration biometric services by international students before the contract for those services was awarded to Sopra Steria.

Caroline Nokes: The Home Office regularly engages with the education sector on a range of operational issues, primarily through the Education Advisory Group.

UK Visas and Immigration: Biometrics

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment his Department has made of the potential for local spikes in applications for UK Visa and Immigration biometric services by international students.

Caroline Nokes: Sopra Steria Limited (SSL) deliver the UK Visa and Citizenship Application Services (UK VCAS) on behalf of UK Visas & Immigration (UKVI).UKVI are currently working closely with SSL, and in consultation with the education sector, to plan effectively for the increase in student applications in the Autumn. To manage the high volume of applications successfully, SSL plan to take the following measures: Increasing capacity at core and enhanced service points during the surge period Student-only appointment days at some service points including the Premium Lounge University-hosted enhanced service points Customised services for smaller institutionsUKVI have provided SSL with historical data based on in country demand for student applications to assist planning and will work with the education sector to extend the period for making applications.

Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service: Finance

Karen Lee: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of the potential implications the proposed cuts to Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service will have on the safety of the area that service covers; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Nick Hurd: It is the responsibility of each Fire and Rescue Authority to determine the resources required to deliver fire and rescue services to local communities.In 2019/20, Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Authority will receive £75.6 million in core spending power. This is an increase of 2.6% compared with 2018/19. In addition, at March 2018, the authority held £37.3 million in reserves, equivalent to 50.4% of core spending power

Police: Training

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will make it his policy to ensure that police officers receive training on understanding autism.

Mr Nick Hurd: The College of Policing sets the standards for training and professional development for police forces in England and Wales. It has produced Authorised Professional Practice and a range of training materials to support officers to help vulnerable people effectively, including those with mental health problems and autism.Training on mental health and vulnerabilities issues is integrated throughout the initial police learning programme which all new recruits – police constables, special constables and PCSOs – must complete. Ongoing training is the responsibility of individual police forces, through Chief Constables, to ensure officers and police staff receive appropriate training for their roles and that they have regard to the appropriate Authorised Professional Practice when discharging their responsibilities.

Cabinet Office

Cabinet Office: Iron and Steel

Nic Dakin: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will sign his Department up to the UK Steel charter.

Oliver Dowden: The Government is working hard to make sure that UK producers of steel have the best possible chance of competing for contracts.In 2015, we introduced the steel procurement guidelines (Procurement Policy Note 16/15, revised in 2016) to level the playing field for UK steel producers by requiring public authorities to include wider social and economic benefits in their procurement decisions, not just price. This means UK firms can compete more effectively with international suppliers for major projects.However, the Cabinet Office itself does not buy steel and consequently we will not be signing the UK Steel Charter.

Cabinet Office: Iron and Steel

Nic Dakin: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether his Department has had discussions with the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy on the UK Steel charter.

Oliver Dowden: We have regular discussions about the procurement of steel with the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, which has asked all government departments to consider guidance on steel procurement and to notify of any upcoming opportunities for industry.More broadly, the government is committed to supporting the steel sector to realise the broader commercial opportunities that are open to it, which could be worth an additional £3.8 billion a year by 2030. We are establishing the Industrial Energy Transformation Fund – backed by up to £315m of investment – to help businesses with high energy use (including steel companies) to cut their bills and transition UK industry to a low carbon future.We are also providing up to £66m through the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund to help steel and other foundation industries develop radical new technologies.

Civil Service: Pension Funds

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment the Government has made of the (a) financial and (b) practical feasibility of divesting Civil Service Pension Funds from (i) fossil fuel and (ii) carbon-intensive industries.

Oliver Dowden: ‘The Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme and Civil Servants and Others Pension Scheme’ is an unfunded scheme and therefore does not have any investments.

European Parliament: Elections

Mohammad Yasin: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate he has made of the number of EU citizens resident in the UK and eligible to vote who were disfranchised from the European parliamentary elections in May 2019.

Kevin Foster: Data on the registration and voting rates of EU citizens in the 2019 European elections is not collected centrally.

Hereditary Peers: Succession

Philip Davies: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will make it his policy to end male primogeniture for hereditary titles.

Kevin Foster: The Government takes the issue of gender inequalities very seriously and recognises the intentions of those bringing forward proposals to reform male primogeniture for hereditary titles. Careful consideration is needed of the issues that reform in this area would raise including the legitimate expectation of males next in line to inherit a title, and the effects of reform on land and property rights. Various approaches have been proposed in both Houses to address this issue though there has not been a consensus on the way forward. The Government’s position remains that reform in this area is not a priority for this Parliamentary session but the Government continues to listen to the concerns of interested parties to understand the consequences of changes to hereditary titles.

Plastics

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure that procurement processes reduce the use of single-use plastics.

Oliver Dowden: The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has stated that the commitment in the 25 Year Environment Plan to remove all Consumer Single-Use Plastics (CSUP) from the central government estate offices will be delivered by 2020, with the option for any department to do so earlier if desired.In advance of this ban on CSUP, Cabinet Office and Crown Commercial Service (CCS) have developed an elimination scheme to be implemented through the facilities management (FM) suppliers on the CCS FM framework. It has established steps that can be taken to remove CSUP from new and existing contracts with departments at neutral cost, in support of this commitment.The elimination scheme took effect from 1 August 2018, enabling departments and supply chains (including those related to waste management) to phase in alternatives to CSUP in time for the ban coming into force. Government’s FM suppliers report that these steps are helping lead many of their private sector clients to adopt similar plastics elimination measures.

European Parliament: Elections

Seema Malhotra: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he has plans to commission and investigation into the the potential disenfranchisement of EU citizens resident in the UK in the 2019 European Parliament elections.

Kevin Foster: In line with their statutory duty, the Electoral Commission will be publishing a report into the administration of the polls later this year, which the Government will consider in due course.

European Parliament: Elections

Mr Gavin Shuker: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 24 June 2019 to Question 268457 on European Parliament: elections, whether the Government received such legal advice after 23 May 2019.

Kevin Foster: Ministers regularly receive legal advice on a variety of topics to aid the decision making process.

Political Parties: Finance

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 1 July 2017 to Question 268970, whether his Department received proposals from the Electoral Commission on the implementation of section 10 of the Political Parties and Elections Act 2009.

Kevin Foster: The Electoral Commission set out their concerns and recommendations for implementation in their 2013 report ‘A regulatory review of the UK’s party and election finance laws: Recommendations for change’.

GovTech Fund

Jo Platt: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 1 July 2019 to Question 269128 on GovTech Fund, how many of the 11 challenges have been fulfilled; and what the cost-benefit ratio was for each of those challenges.

Oliver Dowden: Five of the eleven challenges have now completed Phase 1, which involves testing different approaches to the challenge raised.Most of the GovTech Catalyst challenges are at an early stage of development so measuring long term economic effects is not yet possible. Independent economic analysis will be undertaken as part of measurement and evaluation at a later stage.All information on the GovTech Catalyst, including the selection criteria can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/the-govtech-catalyst-challenge-process#public-sector-challenge-process

GovTech Fund

Jo Platt: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 1 July 2019 to Question 269128 on the GovTech Fund, how many of the (a) 416 bidding suppliers and (b) 55 selected suppliers were SMEs.

Oliver Dowden: Of the total number of bidding suppliers for which we have data, 88% or 352 are SMEs. Whilst 91% or 50 of the funded suppliers are SMEs.

Senior Civil Servants: Resignations

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many officials at (a) grade six, (b) grade seven and (c) SCS1 and above, have left his Department in each quarter of each year since July 2016.

Oliver Dowden: Grade 7 and Grade 6 is currently a combined grade in Cabinet Office known as Band A. The Department also has an additional grade between Band A and SCS1 level known as 'Extended Band A'. The table below shows how many officials at those grades have left Cabinet Office in each quarter of each year since 1 April 2016.QuarterBand A (G6/7 combined)Extended Band A SCS1 and aboveQ1 16/1782028Q2 16/1769024Q3 16/1795018Q4 16/1733016Q1 17/1865020Q2 17/187938Q3 17/185627Q4 17/185968Q1 18/1993814Q2 18/1996320Q3 18/197168Q4 18/1941720 In the context of the total workforce size, the numbers of leavers in the grades shown represented 14% of the workforce in 2016/17, and 6% in both 2017/18 and 2018/19. Thiscompares with a figure of 16.5% for the Private Sector.

Department for International Trade

Overseas Trade: Montenegro

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what steps he has taken to enhance UK trade with Montenegro after the UK leaves the EU.

Graham Stuart: The whole Europe region remains a strategic priority for UK trade. Total trade in goods and services between the UK and Montenegro was £67m in 2018. In August 2018, the Secretary of State launched the Export Strategy, the government’s plan to increase UK total exports as a proportion of GDP to 35% and make Britain a 21st century exporting superpower. The Export Strategy will encourage and inspire more businesses to export; inform businesses by providing practical assistance on exporting; connect UK businesses to overseas buyers and opportunities; and help provide finance through UKEF to enhance the HMG offer to UK exporters. Through this strategy we will also continue to promote the UK as a bilateral trading partner, reassuring Montenegro businesses that the UK remains open for business and remains an advocate for free trade and open markets.

Department for International Trade: Iron and Steel

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, if he will sign his Department up to the UK Steel charter.

Graham Stuart: The Department for International Trade (DIT) is considering the content of the UK Steel Charter and will respond in due course. We are already taking action to level the playing field for UK steel producers when competing for central government contracts. The Cabinet Office issued Guidance and Procurement Policy Note 11/16 on steel procurement and DIT is committed to ensure compliance of its procurements with this policy.

Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, whether he has put in place a timeframe for negotiations on the UK joining the Trans-Pacific Partnership; and if he will make a statement.

George Hollingbery: We continue to consider accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans Pacific Partnership, including analysis of the texts and assessment of the UK’s interests in relation to them. Any timelines will depend entirely on progress made if and when we enter negotiations. Potential CPTPP accession was part of the Government’s public consultation on new trade agreements markets along with the US, Australia, and New Zealand. We are currently reviewing the 150,000 responses we received on CPTPP and a response will be provided in due course.

Trade Agreements

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what estimate he has made of the number of EU free trade agreements which will have novated to the UK when the UK leaves the EU.

George Hollingbery: In the event of the UK leaving the EU with a negotiated agreement, the UK and EU have currently agreed that existing international agreements would apply as they do today for the duration of the implementation period. Nevertheless, we have been working with our trading partners to have bilateral agreements ready in place for when we need them, whether that is after an Implementation Period or for a potential No Deal. We are making progress and have signed or agreed in principle agreements with 32 countries. Total trade in 2018 between the UK and these countries accounted for 63% of the UK’s trade with all the countries with which the UK is seeking continuity in the event of a potential No Deal.1 That has moved from 28% since March. A regularly updated list of agreements signed is available on GOV.UK. https://www.gov.uk/guidance/signed-uk-trade-agreements-transitioned-from-the-eu 1 The figures quoted above are based on total goods and services trade (imports and exports) with the UK, according to the most recent data (ONS, 2018).[1] They cover 65 countries that are party to 35 agreements. These are the countries covered by existing EU agreements in force in 2018. As above, this excludes Turkey, Andorra, San Marino which are part of customs unions with the EU and Japan, as the Economic Partnership Agreement only came into force on 1st February 2019

Iron and Steel: UK Trade with EU

Stephen Kinnock: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what representations he is making to the European Commission on quotas for UK steel exports into the EU, in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal.

George Hollingbery: I refer the Member for Aberavon to the answer I gave on 25 February 2019 to Question UIN 221544.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Internet: Regulation

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what plans he has to regulate online activity to bring it into line with activity that would be considered to be illegal if it were conducted offline.

Margot James: Our view is that behaviour which is illegal or unacceptable offline should be treated the same online. The Online Harms White Paper sets out our plans for world-leading legislation to make the UK the safest place in the world to be online, through establishing a statutory duty of care that will be enforced by an independent regulator. Companies will be held to account for tackling a comprehensive set of online harms, both those which are illegal and also behaviours that may not be illegal but are nonetheless highly damaging to individuals and society. We are also ensuring that the criminal law is fit for purpose to deal with online harms. The Department for Digital, Culture, Media, and Sport and the Ministry of Justice have now engaged the Law Commission on a second phase of their review of abusive and offensive online communications. The Law Commission will review existing communications offences and make recommendations about options for reform. This will include considering whether co-ordinated harassment by groups of people online could be more effectively dealt with by the criminal law. The Law Commission will also look at criminal law around non-consensual taking and sharing of intimate images, considering existing offences and identifying whether there are any gaps in the protection already offered to victims. The Law Commission will make recommendations to ensure that criminal law provides consistent and effective protection against such behaviour.

Greyhound Racing: Animal Welfare

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether his Department has plans to establish a statutory greyhound race betting levy to improve the welfare of racing greyhounds.

Mims Davies: On 10th January 2019, the Government announced a new funding commitment from bookmakers worth an estimated £3 million this year to ensure the welfare of greyhounds is protected and improved. This commitment is set to increase the total amount of the voluntary levy bookmakers pay to the British Greyhound Racing Fund (BGRF) to an estimated £10m this year. We expect thousands of racing greyhounds are to be better cared for as a result of this new deal.Government has no current plans to introduce a statutory levy. We will continue to work with the betting and greyhound industries to make sure that greyhound welfare is safeguarded and remains at the heart of the sport.

BBC: Broadcasting Programmes

Mike Gapes: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions he has had with the BBC on proposals to reduce the availability of BBC 3 and BBC 4 television channels for people living outside the UK.

Margot James: The BBC is operationally and editorially independent from government and the government cannot intervene in the BBC’s day-to-day operations, including distribution.  We understand that, where BBC channels are made available without the BBC’s permission outside of the UK, it will take appropriate action to close these services down.

Cricket: Registration

Mr Ranil Jayawardena: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if he will take steps to (a) support village cricket clubs and (b) help reverse the decline in the number of registered cricket players in England.

Mims Davies: Government is working with Sport England and the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) to support grassroots cricket and help improve the prospects for the game at all levels. Since 2015, Sport England has invested over £9.2m in cricket clubs, facilities and projects focused specifically on cricket, to encourage more people to play the game. Sport England is separately investing £9m in the ECB between 2017 and 2021 to support the grassroots game and talented young cricketers, including projects designed to encourage players to stay in the game. Sport England is also investing over £3m in the cricket charity Chance to Shine over 2018-21 to deliver projects supporting children and young people, with a particular focus on those from lower socioeconomic and BAME groups. Sport England also provides support to all sports clubs through its Club Matters online tool which provides free guidance, support and learning on all aspects of running a club.

Lotteries

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether he plans to raise the annual turnover limits for Society Lotteries as outlined in the Government's consultation document.

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether he plans to raise the maximum prize limit for Society Lotteries to £1 million.

Mims Davies: Last year society lotteries raised nearly £300m and as the Minister for Sports and Civil Society I am keenly aware of the vital role that they play in this country, supporting countless good causes including our charities, hospices and air ambulances. Society lotteries sit alongside the National Lottery, which last year raised £1.6bn. DCMS ran a consultation on society lotteries reform from June to September 2018. This included options which considered changes to the annual sales and maximum prize limits. I hope to respond to the consultation before the summer recess.

Olympic Games

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps he is taking to ensure that the kit for the Team GB Olympic squad is produced sustainably.

Mims Davies: The British Olympic Association (BOA), as the National Olympic Committee for Great Britain and Northern Ireland, is responsible for Team GB’s participation at the Olympic Games, including the procurement of kit for the Team GB Olympic squad (currently through their commercial deal with Adidas). The BOA is a privately funded organisation that is independent of Government, though we would encourage such organisations to procure sustainably produced sport's kit where possible.

Television: Licensing

Gerald Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the withdrawal of free TV licences for over-75s on the (a) well-being and (b) isolation of elderly people.

Jeremy Wright: The future of the over 75 licence fee concession is a matter for the BBC. Parliament transferred responsibility in passing the Digital Economy Act in 2017. On the specific issues of the well-being and isolation of the elderly, My Department work closely with the Department for Health and Social Care, and the Government is taking steps to address loneliness. These include appointing a minister to lead work on tackling loneliness; publishing the world’s first government strategy on loneliness; and securing £20 million of new grant-funding for projects run by charities and community groups to bring people together.

Department for Exiting the European Union

Immigration: EU Nationals

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, with reference to oral Answer of 27 June 2019 on the EU Settlement Scheme, if he will place a copy in the Library of his correspondence with the Department for Education and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government on the matter of applying for settled status for children in care of local authorities.

Mr Robin Walker: The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, the Home Office and the Department for Education work collaboratively across departments to support children in care who need to apply for the EU Settlement Scheme. Officials have been in contact with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and I have written to Ministers Nokes and Minister Zahawi whose departments work together to support children in care to apply for settled status.Copies of both these letters and the responses from Minister Zahawi and Minister Nokes will be deposited in the House library.The Home Office is running a series of MP Parliamentary Caseworker events to inform MPs about the EU Settlement Scheme; we would recommend that MPs who want more information about the scheme attend these sessions.

Department for Exiting the European Union: Termination of Employment

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, how many officials at (a) grade six, (b) grade seven and (c) SCS1 and above have left his Department in each quarter of each year since July 2016.

Kwasi Kwarteng: The Department for Exiting the European Union was set up as a time limited department and as such the majority of staff are employed on 2-year fixed term contracts or are loaned from other Government Departments on a similar basis. The increase in numbers of leavers towards the end of 2018 and beginning of 2019 is mainly due to planned leavers moving to other government departments following the end of their pre-set loan agreement or job rotation, or have left the civil service following the end of their 2-year fixed-term appointment. The department undertakes succession planning to ensure it maintains its high standards of delivery.2016201720182019 Q3Q4Q1Q2Q3Q4Q1Q2Q3Q4Q1Q2Grade 600   86 1367 Grade 7 910610171112162422 SCS1 and above  5009  906